


The Profiler and the Nurse Book One

by ahowell1993



Series: The Profiler and the Nurse Series [1]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Hotch also has a sister, Much different childhood for Spencer, Out of Character Moments, Secret Relationship, alternative universe, no drug addiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 47
Words: 99,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26902519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahowell1993/pseuds/ahowell1993
Summary: 19-year-old Spencer Reid receives some heartbreaking news. Two days later he meets Clarissa Hotchner who instantly helps Spencer cope over the tragedy he has to deal with while Clarissa and her oldest brother helps him figure out what to do with his life after college. Pre-season 1 to Revelations.I don’t own Criminal Minds.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Haley Hotchner, Alex Blake/James Blake, Spencer Reid/Original Female Characters
Series: The Profiler and the Nurse Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1962979
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to cast Alexis Bledel as Clarissa Hotchner, and right now in this story it's November 28th of 2000 when Spencer is 19.
> 
> I have it that Spencer decided to go to Yale instead of Cal-tech.

Spencer was getting ready for his morning lectures when there was a knock on the door of his dorm. A few seconds later he opened his door and saw his academic adviser Dr. Steven Richards with a police officer who both had grim faces, "Did I do anything wrong officer?" asked Spencer.

"I'm Officer Benson from New Rochelle, New York. I have some bad news for you, so may I please come in?" asked Officer Benson.

Spencer quickly stiffened, "Is it about my aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon?" asked Spencer.

Officer Benson nodded, "It is, but I want you to be sitting down."

A few seconds later Spencer was sitting across from Officer Benson who gave him a sad look, "At three AM your aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon were killed by a drunk driver while they were driving back from New York City."

At that moment Spencer fell onto his pillows and started to sob.

Officer Benson looked at Spencer's academic adviser, "Is there anyone I can call for him?" asked Officer Benson.

Dr. Richard's heart broke as he looked at Spencer, "His biological parents are dead. His godparents living in Washington, D.C., he has a cousin living in Atlanta, Georgia while his aunt's sister resides in Bennington Sanitarium in Spencer's hometown Las Vegas."

"What about a girlfriend?" asked Officer Benson as his heart broke for the young man.

Dr. Richards shook his head, "No girlfriend, but I'm already planning on helping him plan the funerals and have him go to mandatory grief counseling while the police station that Lieutenant Gordon worked at will most likely take care of funeral arrangements for Spencer."

Officer Benson pulled out his card and passed it to Dr. Richards, "If he needs anything please call me since it's hard to lose a police officer that everyone liked."

"Thank you," said Dr. Richards as he looked at the young man who cried himself to sleep.

A minute later Office Benson let himself out, and Dr. Richards used the phone to call Spencer's professors and let them know that Spencer won't be attending classes for a while.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer was sitting on a bench with tears streaming down his face while looking at a picture of him with his aunt and uncle after he earned his first Ph.D. when he heard a female voice.

"You alright?" asked a young woman.

Spencer looked up and saw a girl around his age who had armpit length nearly black hair and bright blue eyes.

Spencer removed his glasses and wiped the tears that were falling down his face, "My aunt and uncle who raised me since I was four years old after my parents' death, were killed in a car accident two days ago."

The woman sat down next to Spencer, "I lost my father when I was three and my mom at 17."

Spencer quickly remembered his manners, "I'm Spencer Reid."

"I'm Clarissa Hotchner, and you look like you could use a friend," said Clarissa as her cellphone rang and she answered it, "Hello?" asked Clarissa.

"Where are you, Clarissa? I have been waiting for you for the past 10 minutes," said Hotch.

"Right now I am talking to a boy around my age who just lost his aunt and uncle who practically raised him a few days ago, and I don't want to leave him alone since he is grieving," said Clarissa softly.

"Well bring him with you if you want to help cheer him up," said Hotch before hanging up.

Clarissa looked at Spencer who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Come join my older brother and me for lunch, Spencer, because I would rather not leave you alone right now," said Clarissa as she held out her hand for Spencer to take.

Spencer took Clarissa's hand as he got up before following her to her car.

A few minutes later Clarissa looked at the young man in her passenger seat, "How long have you been attending Yale?" asked Clarissa.

"Since I was 12. My aunt and uncle moved here with me when I decided to attend Yale," said Spencer.

"And you're like 18?" asked Clarissa.

"I just turned 19 less than two months ago," said Spencer.

"I'm turning 19 in two weeks. If you have been attending college since you were 12, you must be a genius," said Clarissa.

"Yes I am," said Spencer.

An impressed Clarissa whistled, "So how smart are you?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer looked at Clarissa and wondered why she didn't freak out yet, "I have an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory, and a reading speed of 20,000 words per minute."

"Cool," said Clarissa.

"You're not intimidated?" asked Spencer.

"I'm not because I graduated high school as valedictorian in my class, and I am studying to become a nurse," said Clarissa.

"As of right now I have a Ph.D. in Mathematics, and I am almost finished with my second PhD.," said Spencer.

"What is your second Ph.D. going to be in?" asked Clarissa.

"Engineering since I already have BAs in Engineering and Chemistry," said Spencer.

"So you're the math and science type of guy," said Clarissa.

"Pretty much," said Spencer.

"Learning about the human body in school is the reason why I wanted to become a nurse because my dad died from cancer," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Clarissa hugged her brother, "I missed you so much, Aaron."

"You're the one who decided to leave Washington D.C. and go to Yale," said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "I'm Aaron Hotchner and sorry for your loss."

Spencer reluctantly shook Hotch's hand, "Thank you, and I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, but please call me Spencer."

As soon as they were sitting ina booth, Hotch took in Spencer's appearance, "You look way too young to be a doctor."

Spencer quietly explained his IQ, memory, and reading speed to his new friend's older brother.

When Spencer was finished, Hotch smiled at Spencer, "Impressive."

"Thank you." said Spencer before looking at the suit that Hotch was wearing, "You work for the government?"

At that moment Hotch looked a bit impressed, "I'm a profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit down in Quantico, Virginia."

Spencer's eyes went wide as he thought back to his uncle telling him about the times he had the B.A.U. help him with cases, "Do you work for Jason Gideon or have ever worked with David Rossi?" asked Spencer.

"I've worked with both men. How do you know their names?" asked Aaron.

"I read David Rossi's latest book, and I attended Agent Gideon's lecture two months ago," said Spencer.

"And you didn't think of approaching him?" asked Aaron.

"I was late for my next lecture, and I didn't know if I could join the FBI since I have no experience with law enforcement," said Spencer.

"How old are you?" asked Aaron.

"19 sir," said Spencer.

"The FBI is always looking for academics since they can use more brains than brawn, and maybe in a few years you could join since the FBI can always use someone with your intelligence," said Aaron.

"Let's just say that I have been approached by the CIA and NSA already due to my intelligence, and I don't want to do the CIA but the NSA is tempting," said Spencer.

"I can't blame them for wanting someone as smart as you, and as soon as the FBI Director finds out about you he will want to have you recruited," said Aaron as he made a mental note to send word to the Director about meeting Spencer.

Spencer smiled thoughtfully at Aaron's comment just as a waitress approached them.

"May I take your orders now?" asked a waitress.

Spencer, Clarissa, and Aaron gave their orders.

As soon as the waitress left, Hotch looked at Spencer, "How long ago did your aunt and uncle die?" asked Aaron.

"Two days ago, and my academic advisor is helping me with funeral preparations while having me talk to a counselor," said Spencer.

"Cause of death?" asked Aaron.

"They were hit by a drunk driver and the drunk driver didn't make it," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at Spencer, "When is the funeral?" asked Clarissa.

"In two days," said Spencer.

At that moment Clarissa made her decision, "I'm going to come to the funeral so I can support my new friend."

Spencer was about to protest when Hotch looked at Spencer, "Better not argue with my baby sister since she doesn't back down on any decisions that she makes."

Spencer sighed in defeat, and a few minutes later their food arrived causing all three adults to eat.

Xxxx

15 minutes into eating their lunch, Hotch looked at his sister, "Just so you know Haley, Jason, Sean, and I will be here for your birthday in two weeks."

Clarissa grinned, "I can't wait." said Clarissa before looking at Spencer who looked like he was feeling out of place, "You're welcome to join us."

Spencer shook his head, "I don't want to intrude on your family gathering."

"If my sister-in-law, Sean, uncle Jason finds out that I finally made a friend on campus, they're gonna want to meet you," said Clarissa.

Aaron looked at Spencer, "And the Jason I mentioned is Jason Gideon, and he would be glad to meet you."

"I guess I will come." shrugged Spencer before dipping a French fry in ketchup and popped it into his mouth.

After eating for a few more minutes in silence, Aaron's phone rang and a minute later he looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "I have to get going since I'm heading back to Quantico." said Aaron as he pulled out a business card, "If you need someone to talk to or need anything, please give me a call."

Spencer took the card, "Thank you."

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were sitting alone in their booth.

Clarissa looked at Spencer, "What's one of your favorite TV shows?" asked Clarissa.

"Star Trek," said Spencer.

Clarissa grinned, "Awesome."

Spencer's eyes went wide, "You're a fan?" asked Spencer.

"I am and I also love Star Wars," said Clarissa.

"Me too," said Spencer.

Spencer and Clarissa started talking about their hometowns and what led them to attend Yale.

Xxx

When they were leaving the diner, Clarissa looked at Spencer, "I think we're going to be great friends Spencer," said Clarissa as she smiled at Spencer before reciting her cellphone number, causing Spencer to commit it to memory before giving her his number.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a heads up that Diana Reid didn't have schizophrenia, but she had Asperger's syndrome that Spencer ended up inheriting from her.
> 
> Right now it's Friday in this story.

At 2:30 PM the next day Spencer was heading to the bus stop when Clarissa ran towards him despite the two inches of snow that was on the sidewalk, "Where are you going Spencer?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer stopped walking so Clarissa could meet up with him, "I have to start going through the house I lived in since I was 12 since I'm going to be selling it."

"Would you like me to help you?" asked Clarissa.

"Only if you're not busy," said Spencer.

Clarissa shook her head, "Aside from homework, I have no plans for the rest of the day."

"You can help," said Spencer.

Clarissa grabbed Spencer's gloved hand and started pulling him into the direction of her car, "Let's take my car instead of the bus." said Clarissa.

Xxxx

15 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were removing their hats, winter jackets, and boots in the foyer of the three-bedroom and two bath house and Clarissa looked around the house, "This is a nice place."

"Thank you." said Spencer as he padded over to the thermostat to check the heat before switching it on, "There's soda, water, and juice in the kitchen," said Spencer as he headed into the kitchen with Clarissa trailing behind him.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were going through Ethel's and Gordon's bedroom putting Ethel's clothing into garbage bags so Spencer could donate them to Goodwill.

After Ethel's clothes were bagged up Clarissa saw Spencer going through his uncle's clothes and started to make two piles, "What are you doing, Spencer?" asked Clarissa.

"I'm keeping some of my uncle's clothes since he's nearly the same size as me, and I'm getting close to needing some new clothes so I can easily grow into them, meaning that I will save money on new clothes." said Spencer as he looked at the trousers that belonged to his uncle and pointed at the pile of the clothes that he's going to donate, "Those clothes are going to Goodwill."

"Don't you have a job?" asked Clarissa as she started to help Spencer pack up his uncle's clothes.

"After earning my Ph.D. in mathematics, I became a teaching assistant to earn some spending money since I can't access the trust fund that my aunt and uncle started after my parents died until I'm 21," said Spencer.

"So what are you going to do with the money you receive after selling this house?" asked Clarissa.

"My uncle's lawyer insisted that I put the money into the trust fund since I'm only 19, and with the degrees that I'm planning on earning I should be finished with college by the time I'm 21," said Spencer.

"So you will be using all that money to help you settle in where ever you move to," said Clarissa.

"That's the plan, and with the money, I have available in the trust fund I can easily buy a house instead of an apartment," said Spencer.

Spencer and Clarissa started to work in silence while Spencer made a keep or donate pile, and an hour later Spencer's stomach growled, causing the two young adults to look at the time.

"It's already 5:30 PM," said Spencer.

"We should take a dinner break," said Clarissa.

A minute later Spencer and Clarissa were in the kitchen, and Spencer smiled to himself when he saw ingredients that weren't expired or spoiled to make tacos.

Spencer looked at Clarissa, "Do you know how to cook?" asked Spencer.

"I do, but what about you?" asked Clarissa.

"My aunt taught me how to cook. I enjoyed helping her cook meals when I was a child," said Spencer.

"Then let's cook together," said Clarissa as she moved to the sink to wash her hands, causing Spencer to follow suit.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were either cooking the meat or chopping up vegetables while they talked about their happy childhood memories, and before they knew it they were sitting at the kitchen island eating their tacos.

"With your cooking skills was your aunt a chef?" asked Clarissa as she took a sip of her soda.

"She worked for a catering business, and when we went to Mass every Sunday she would bake cookies and brownies for the kids," said Spencer.

"So the funeral is happening where you attend Mass?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer's face saddened as he realized that in less than 24 hours he will have to say goodbye to his aunt and uncle, "Yes."

"Do you know when you're returning to your classes?" asked Clarissa.

"I'm excused from my classes until exams before winter break. I'm not falling behind since my professors are taping their classes and sending me the assignments while I'm working on my dissertation," said Spencer.

Clarissa glared at her backpack that she brought into the house with her, "Sometimes I can't understand my chemistry homework."

"At least you're in the room with someone who already has a BA in chemistry," said Spencer.

"Are you willing to help me?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes, but I'm not doing your homework since I had enough of that in high school," said Spencer.

Clarissa grinned at Spencer, and Spencer felt his stomach fluttering.

xxxxxxx

Meanwhile, in Quantico, Virginia, Hotch opened up Google on his computer and typed in the name Dr. Spencer Reid. His eyes went wide when he saw news articles about Spencer's parents being killed by a drunk driver when he was four, graduating high school at 12, earning his BAs and first Ph.D., his dissertations, and papers that he already published. He was focused on reading one of Spencer's papers when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you reading, Hotch?" asked Gideon.

Hotch turned around and looked at Gideon, "Clarissa made a new friend the other day, but I'd rather tell you in your office."

"OK." said Gideon.

A minute later Hotch told Gideon about how he met Spencer Reid, what he knew about Spencer's family and IQ, memory, what he had for degrees, papers that he already published, and what degrees he was working on. When he was almost finished he looked at Gideon, "He has already been approached by the CIA, NSA, other government agencies, private sectors, various universities despite being only 19-years-old."

"What degrees is he planning on earning?" asked Gideon.

"He mentioned that he has an interest in studying psychology and sociology after finishing up his Ph.D. in engineering and earning a Ph.D. in Chemistry since he's able to work on degrees very quickly," said Hotch.

"Have you asked him what he has considered doing when he finishes college?" asked Gideon.

"Spencer has interest in joining the FBI when he's older, and I'm not sure if he can handle waiting until he's at the minimum age limit for recruitment," said Hotch.

"Based on you mentioning that he has been approached with job offers from other government agencies I will get started on seeing if the age requirement can be waived," said Gideon.

"Thank you," said Hotch.

"Thinking that Spencer might be interested in your baby sister?" asked Gideon.

"I think so. They were giving each other shy smiles and glances, and if they do become a couple, I would approve Dr. Reid dating my baby sister," said Hotch.

"I want to meet this young man when we go up to New Haven for Clarissa's birthday," said Gideon.

"He attended your lecture two months ago, and he quickly left since he was running late for his next class," said Hotch.

"What did he look like?" asked Gideon.

Hotch pulled out his phone and showed Gideon the picture he took of his sister with her new friend.

Gideon's eyes went wide, "I remember him since he was asking some interesting questions while I worked with his late uncle a few times. I tried to find him after the lecture to ask him if he ever considered joining the FBI, but he was long gone." said Gideon.

"Well Clarissa invited him to her birthday dinner so you will get to meet him since this is her very first friend since starting at Yale a few months ago," said Hotch.

"I can't wait," said Gideon.

Hotch looked at the clock and saw that it was already 6:30 PM, "Haley should be back from her mom's now, so I am going to head home since I haven't seen her in a few days."

Xxxx

Three hours later Clarissa was sitting in her private dorm reading a book that Spencer lent to her when her cellphone rang and she saw that it was her oldest brother, "Hi Aaron." said Clarissa.

"Haley and I are on speaker," said Hotch.

"Hi Haley." said Clarissa.

"Aaron told me that you made a new friend and I want you to tell me about him," said Haley.

Clarissa started telling her sister in law about Spencer, and when she was finished she decided to ask them something, "Spencer doesn't have anyone to celebrate Christmas with, and I don't want him to spend it alone. I was thinking about having him come down to DC with me."

"I take it that you developed a crush on him since Aaron mentioned that you invited him to join in on your birthday dinner." teased Haley.

"Well he's hot in a geeky way, and I think being friends, for now, is a good idea since he's grieving over his aunt and uncle. Besides, my New Years' resolution for next year is that if he doesn't ask me out I will ask him out myself since he's the type of guy I prefer to date," said Clarissa.

"I think that's a great idea," said Haley.

"So what did you do after classes today?" asked Hotch.

"I actually helped Spencer start packing up the house he lived in for the past seven years, and when we were both hungry we made tacos together before he helped me understand my chemistry homework," said Clarissa before she started to talk about her classes.

Xxxx

The next day Spencer was greeting his aunt's and uncle's coworkers and accepting a few condolences from some of his professors who have gotten to know his aunt and uncle over the years.

An hour later, Spencer's eyes went wide when he saw Clarissa last in line to greet him, and when it was her turn to be greeted.

"Clarissa," said Spencer.

Clarissa pulled him into a hug, "I told you that I would come."

"Thank you." said Spencer before looking nervously at Clarissa, "Would you mind sitting next to me in the front row?"

"Certainly," said Clarissa as she squeezed Spencer's shoulder before reaching out to fix his tie and the lapels of his suit jacket.

A minute later Spencer and Clarissa were sitting in the front pew of the church when the priest started the service, and Spencer nervously reached for Clarissa's hand and whispered, "I hope that it's OK."

"It's OK," whispered Clarissa.

Xxxx

A short while later the priest looked at the mourners in the room.

"Now I will have Ethel and Gordon Tucker's adoptive son Spencer Reid come up here and say a few words about his aunt and uncle." said the priest.

Clarissa squeezed Spencer's hand before he slowly got up and walked to the front of the church. He took a small glance at the two caskets that contained the remains of his aunt and uncle's before he looked at the friends and coworkers of his aunt and uncle.

"Aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon took me in after my biological parents died in a car crash when I was four-years-old. It wasn't easy for them raising a genius with an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory, and a reading speed of 20,000 words per minute, but they made sure to challenge me while making sure I got to interact with peers my age despite graduating high school when I was 12 before moving out here as a family so I could attend Yale." said Spencer as he wiped a tear before continuing, "When I was growing up with my aunt and uncle, aunt Ethel would always complain about how fast my hair grows."

A few of the mourners who remembered how Ethel was about the length of her nephew's hair chuckled before Spencer continued.

"My uncle Gordon would tell me happy childhood memories that he had with my mom who was a 15th-century literature by reading me all of my mother's books despite being a fan of science fiction. Aunt Ethel would complain about how my uncle and I could be as thick as thieves most of the time, but I did love my aunt and uncle since they raised me as one of their own since they couldn't have kids," said Spencer.

Two minutes later Spencer finished up the speech he had came up with, and he sat back down next to Clarissa who was wiping a tear.

"That was beautiful," whispered Clarissa.

"Thank you." said Spencer.

At that moment Spencer and Clarissa listened to a family friend who had made his way from Las Vegas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter will deal with happier things like Clarissa's 19th birthday and Spencer meeting Gideon, Sean, and Haley.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With how I had Spencer's parents and his aunt and uncle die, Spencer's not going to drive at all unless he really needs to since his uncle still taught him how to drive and made sure that he received a drivers license. And I decided on what Gordon's profession was before he was killed by a drunk driver.
> 
> Clarissa was born on December 15th of 1981.

Spencer was pacing in his dorm thinking about what to get Clarissa for her birthday, then suddenly came up with the idea of contacting Clarissa's oldest brother.

"Hotchner," answered Hotch as he looked at the unfamiliar number and noticing that it was the area code for New Haven.

"Sir, this is Dr. Spencer Reid calling," said Spencer.

"How are you doing Spencer?" asked Hotch.

"Even though it's been two weeks, and your sister helped me a lot since meeting her 12 days ago," said Spencer.

"She's happy to finally make a friend on campus who isn't afraid of my career," said Hotch.

"My uncle Gordon was a police officer so I'm used to being around law enforcement," said Spencer.

"Clarissa did mention that there were a lot of uniforms at the funeral." said Hotch before adding, "So what can I do for you?"

"I'm thinking about getting Clarissa her favorite flowers for her birthday tomorrow, and I'm asking you for your blessing to ask her to be my girlfriend," said Spencer.

"You have my blessing since she has mentioned how comfortable she is around you, and her favorite flowers are yellow roses. So are you coming to dinner tomorrow?" asked Hotch.

"I am," said Spencer.

"Well, my lunch break is just about over. I will see you at Clarissa's birthday dinner," said Hotch.

"If you talk to Clarissa before arriving tomorrow, please don't tell her that I got your blessing to ask her to be my girlfriend," said Spencer.

"I promise," said Hotch.

"Thank you, and I will see you tomorrow," said Spencer before hanging up.

Xxx

The next day Spencer was standing outside the girl's dorm waiting for Clarissa with a bouquet of yellow roses, and a few minutes later she came outside and smiled when she saw Spencer.

"Hi Spencer." smiled Clarissa.

Spencer nervously handed Clarissa the roses, "Happy birthday Clarissa."

"Thank you, and these are my favorite flowers." grinned Clarissa as she kissed Spencer on the cheek, causing the young man to blush.

"I called your older brother and asked him what your favorite flowers are," said Spencer.

Clarissa smiled, "That's very sweet of you."

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were in Clarissa's car, and 15 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were entering a pizzeria where Hotch, Haley, Gideon, and Sean were already waiting.

"Happy birthday Clarissa." said Hotch as he hugged his younger sister before turning to Spencer and shook his hand, "It's nice to see you again, Spencer."

"You too, sir," said Spencer as he watched Clarissa being given hugs.

"Please call me Aaron or you can call me Hotch like a bunch of my teammates do," said Hotch.

"Hotch will do," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer, Clarissa, and Hotch were sitting down when Clarissa looked at Spencer, "Spencer, I would like you to meet my sister in law Haley."

"How do you do," said Spencer quietly as he shook hands with Haley.

"I'm sorry for you loss, Spencer," said Haley.

"Thank you Mrs. Hotchner." said Spencer quietly.

"Please call me Haley," said Haley.

Clarissa then looked at Sean, "My older brother Sean who's a year older than you."

Spencer shook hands with Sean, "Hi,"

"Sorry for your loss," said Sean.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Then finally Clarissa looked at Gideon, "Finally, my oldest brother's boss, Jason Gideon."

Spencer finally shook hands with Gideon, "Sir, it's a huge honor to meet you since I'm a fan of your published work and I attended your lecture 70 days ago." said Spencer as he nervously pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry for your loss Dr. Reid, and I did notice you at the lecture since I was planning on approaching you," said Gideon.

"I was late for my next lecture," said Spencer.

At that moment a waitress came over and started taking orders, and a few minutes later Spencer was sipping a soda when Gideon looked at him.

A few minutes later Gideon looked at Spencer who was drinking a soda, "I worked with your uncle a few times, and he told me so much about you."

"Luckily when it came to him being a police officer, he had no problem transferring to a police department here in New Haven because he told me that he was willing to move wherever I picked going to college," said Spencer.

"What led you to attend my lecture?" asked Gideon.

"After being approached by the CIA a third time, uncle Gordon was the one to recommend that I should attend your lecture since he once worked with you and we ended up talking about what to do with my future," said Spencer.

"I did some research on you after Aaron told me about you. After talking to the Director, he mentioned that he already knew that a lot of government agencies have been showing interest in you since you have been gaining media attention since graduating high school," said Gideon.

"So the FBI has been showing interest in me?" asked Spencer.

"They already have, especially me, and if you're interested in joining the FBI, the Director will want you to wait until you're 21 to apply so you're at legal drinking age," said Gideon.

"Really?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, and you have nearly two years to think about it," said Gideon.

"I will think about it, but first I want to finish my current Ph.D. in engineering before working on a few additional degrees that I'm planning," said Spencer.

Sean looked at Spencer, "Speaking of college, what fun stuff do you like to do outside of college classes and completing homework?" asked Sean.

"Doing magic tricks and reading," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at Spencer, "Can you please show us one?" asked Clarissa as she gave Spencer a pleading look.

"Sure," said Spencer as he hoped that his plan on how he would ask Clarissa out would work.

He pulled out a deck of cards and held out the cards to Clarissa, "Pick a card any card."

Clarissa picked a card to memorize before following Spencer's instructions to put it back into the deck, and near the end of the card trick Spencer held out a card.

"Is this your card?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa glanced at the card and her blue eyes went wide when she saw the card say EVEN THOUGH WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR TWO WEEKS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND?

"That's not my card, but I say yes to being your girlfriend." said Clarissa, causing Haley to gasp as Clarissa looked at Spencer, "So where's that card?"

Spencer looked at Hotch, "Check the pocket of your suit jacket."

Hotch checked the pocket and held up the card.

Clarissa and Haley gasped, "How did you do that?" asked both women at once.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," said Spencer causing laughter and some applause.

At that moment the waitress came over with two pans of pizza, and a few minutes later everyone was eating while talking and Spencer wasn't surprised that Gideon was asking him questions about the degree he working on or the degrees that he's hoping to get before Hotch and Sean gave him the big brother talk before he and Clarissa could leave.

As Spencer and Clarissa headed to Clarissa's car, Clarissa looked at Spencer as she took a hold of his hand, "I'm sorry if their threats were a bit scary." said Clarissa.

"Someday I will tell you how bad the bullying I went through in high school was," said Spencer.

Clarissa decided to change the subject, "So where are you going to take me on my first date as your girlfriend?" asked Clarissa.

"When are you leaving for DC to spend Christmas?" asked Spencer.

"We're leaving for DC on the 23rd, and I already got our plane tickets," said Clarissa.

Spencer looked at Clarissa with wide brown eyes.

"My brother and sister-in-law insisted that you spend Christmas with us since I told them that I didn't want you to spend your first Christmas without your aunt and uncle by yourself," said Clarissa.

"Are you sure you want me to intrude on your family?" asked Spencer.

"With you now being my boyfriend, that makes you part of the Hotchner family. Plus spending Christmas vacation with me means we can get a couple of dates in before Spring term starts," said Clarissa.

"I guess I will take your offer, but where am I going to stay?" asked Spencer.

"We're both staying at my brother's house, and they have a guest bedroom you can stay in," said Clarissa.

"Then I must get them something special for Christmas that's legal since we're both underage." joked Spencer.

Clarissa laughed.

"But please let me pay you back for my plane ticket," said Spencer.

"It's my Christmas gift to you," said Clarissa.

At that moment Spencer knew that he needed to get Clarissa something special for their first Christmas together.

"Fine," said Spencer.

"So back to your earlier question, why are you asking about when we're heading down to DC?" asked Clarissa.

"You have seen the previews for "Cast Away"?" asked Spencer.

"I have, and I'm interested in that movie," said Clarissa.

"Then for our first date as boyfriend and girlfriend we shall go see that movie on the 22nd," said Spencer.

"Perfect," said Clarissa as she unlocked her car before Spencer opened the driver's side door.

"After you, milady," said Spencer as he bowed to Clarissa.

"Thank you," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

Seven days later Spencer was paying for his and Clarissa's movie tickets, sodas, and a bag of popcorn for them to share before they headed into to room they were directed to go to, and 15 minutes later Spencer was nervously taking ahold of Clarissa's hand while inwardly thinking that Clarissa's the girl he eventually wants to marry while not knowing that Clarissa was inwardly thinking that Spencer is the guy she wants to marry in the future.

Xxxx

Two and a half hours later, Spencer and Clarissa were leaving the movie theater animatedly talking about the movie.

"That movie was so good," said Clarissa.

"I second that." said Spencer as he looked at his watch before making eye contact with Clarissa, "Let's go get dinner before we head back to Yale."

Xxxx

10 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were sitting in a diner talking about what they wanted to do for their winter break together before classes resume in January, and when they were done they talked about what they wanted to do for the next couple of weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter will take place in Washington DC during Spencer's and Clarissa's first Christmas together.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since it's mentioned that the status of Hotch's mother is unknown, I'm going to have it that she died when Clarissa was 17.
> 
> There's a reference to Elephant's Memory in this chapter, but with having Spencer's late Uncle Gordon being a police officer, let's just say that there's a twist to the incident.
> 
> This chapter starts on December 23rd of 2000.

Spencer smiled as he watched Clarissa rush over to her oldest brother to hug him as he made his way to Hotch and Clarissa while he carried their carry on bags.

"Even though I saw you over a week ago, I missed you, Aaron," said Clarissa.

"You were the one to pick Yale," said Hotch as he hugged his baby sister tightly to him and nodded at Spencer, who finally reached them.

"Thanks for having me spend Christmas with you guys," said Spencer quietly.

"No one should spend Christmas and New Year alone," said Hotch as he took Clarissa's carry on bag.

"I know, and my academic adviser offered for me to spend Christmas with him and his family. Let's just say that he's pleased that I found someone who will get me to take a break from studying while hanging out with someone who's my age," said Spencer as he headed towards baggage claim with Hotch and Clarissa.

A few minutes later, Spencer was leaving Dulles with Hotch and Clarissa when Hotch noticed Spencer taking in the sights of Washington DC, "Ever been to DC before?" asked Hotch.

"I have since my godmother lives in this city, and she works for the FBI in the BAU. Dr. Blake specializes in linguistics, and she was talking about introducing me to you and Gideon at some point, and I haven't told her that I met you yet," said Spencer.

Hotch realized that Dr. Alex Blake is Spencer's godmother, "You're the godson that Agent Blake has been bragging to me about when I started working with her."

Spencer nodded at Hotch to indicate that he's correct, "She doesn't reveal my name at all since she wants to keep me safe."

"So, are you planning on surprising her?" asked Hotch.

"I am since she was another person who invited me to spend Christmas with her," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer and Clarissa followed Hotch into Hotch's and Haley's house.

Spencer looked around the living room that was decorated for Christmas, "You have a nice house."

"Thank you," said Hotch.

At that moment, Haley entered from the kitchen, "Welcome, Spencer," said Haley as she gave Spencer a hug.

"Thank you for letting me stay," said Spencer.

Haley looked at her sister-in-law, "Why don't you show Spencer the guest bedroom." said Haley before looking at Spencer, "I just put clean sheets on this morning, and there are clean towels in the guest bathroom."

"Thank you," said Spencer as he picked up his luggage.

Clarissa looked at her boyfriend, "This way Spencer."

"Lunch will be done in 10 minutes, so please go wash up," said Haley.

xxxxxx

10 minutes later, Spencer, Clarissa, Hotch, and Haley were sitting around the dining room table, when Clarissa looked at her oldest brother, "When is Sean arriving?" asked Clarissa.

"He's arriving before supper tonight," said Hotch.

Haley looked at Spencer, "Are there any dietary issues that I should worry about?" asked Haley.

"I'm lactose intolerant, but I do have antacids with me," said Spencer.

"So no creamed spinach?" asked Haley as she thought about that being included during dinner.

"I hate creamed spinach," said Spencer.

"Then what's your favorite side dish?" asked Haley.

"Peas," said Spencer.

"Then I will make sure to make them for you," said Haley as she made a mental note to give him two helpings at dinner.

xxxxxxxxx

An hour later, Spencer rang the doorbell to Doctors James and Alex Blake's house, and Alex's eyes went wide when she saw Spencer. She instantly pulled him into a hug.

"Hi aunt Alex," said Spencer as he hugged his godmother back.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't make it to your aunt and uncle's funeral, Spencer," said Alex.

"It's OK, but I wasn't alone the entire time since someone you met before was there for me," said Spencer as he gestured at Clarissa.

Alex noticed Clarissa and motioned both 19-year-olds to come inside and remove their jackets, hats, and boots, "I see that you finally met my godson at Yale, Clarissa," said Alex as she smirked when she saw Spencer and Clarissa holding hands, "And I'm glad you finally got yourself a girlfriend who I would approve, Spencer."

"I didn't meet Clarissa until November 30th when she saw me sitting on a bench in tears. She wouldn't let me be alone, causing me to join her and Hotch for lunch," said Spencer.

"Spencer never revealed that you're his godmother until today," said Clarissa as she accepted a hug from the woman who helped her get into Yale.

"Thank you for being there for my godson," said Alex.

"You're welcome, Alex," said Clarissa.

Alex looked at Spencer, "So you met Aaron?" asked Alex.

"I did, and I also met Jason Gideon when he came up for Clarissa's birthday," said Spencer.

"So you're thinking about going the FBI route when you're finished with college?" asked Alex as he thought about how she got her godson into linguistics during the visits that she had with him.

"Gideon told me that he told the Director about me, but I have to wait until I'm 21 to get into the academy," said Spencer.

"And you still have those degrees to work on. I already requested time off to come to watch you earn your 2nd PhD.," said Alex.

At that moment, Spencer heard the voice of his godfather.

"Who's at the door, Alex?" asked James.

"Come look," said Alex.

James came into the foyer and hugged his godson, "You have definitely grown since the last time I saw you, Spencer."

A minute later, Spencer, Clarissa, Alex, and James were sitting in the living room munching on Christmas cookies that Alex made when Alex looked at her godson,

"Where are you staying?" asked Alex.

Clarissa decided to speak up, "Aaron, Haley, and I agreed that Spencer should stay in the guest bedroom at my brother's house."

"You're always welcome to stay here, Spencer," said Alex.

"I know," said Spencer before he started telling his godparents about how college was going and about the grief counselor his academic adviser is having him see.

xxxxxxxx

Two hours later, Spencer and Clarissa returned to the Hotchner house, and Hotch, who was reading, looked at his sister and Spencer, "How did your visit with your godparents go, Spencer?" asked Hotch.

"They told me that they already made arrangements to attend graduation in May," said Spencer.

Clarissa grinned at her boyfriend, "And I'm planning on attending your graduation too, Spencer."

"Are you excited about attending MIT next fall?" asked Hotch as he thought about Clarissa telling Spencer that he shouldn't cancel his plans to attend MIT in the fall of 2001.

"I am, and Clarissa and I agreed that we will make our relationship work despite being one state apart," said Spencer.

"So what are you going to do during summer break?" asked Sean.

"We're going to spend as much time as we can together before I have to move up to Cambridge," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer, "Well, I'm glad that you two are going to make the relationship work when you start at MIT."

"Me too," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Two mornings later, Spencer and Clarissa stepped into the living room together when Haley stopped them, "You two didn't notice something above the doorway," said Haley.

At that moment, Spencer and Clarissa noticed the mistletoe that wasn't there the day before, and Spencer pulled Clarissa into a gentle kiss on the lip.

Clarissa saw her brother Sean smirking at them, "I take it that the mistletoe is your doing."

"Yes," said Sean.

At that moment, Hotch came into the room with a garbage bag, "Who's ready to open presents?" asked Hotch.

Spencer and Clarissa quickly made their way to sit on the living room floor, and after a few minutes of opening gifts, Spencer was surprised when a big box was placed on his lap, and he noticed that it was from Clarissa before he started to open it. His eyes went wide when he saw a leather messenger bag and a note from Clarissa.

WITH HOW TATTERED YOUR CURRENT MESSENGER BAG IS, I DECIDED TO TAKE THE LIBERTY AND GET YOU A NEW ONE FOR CHRISTMAS.

LOVE,

CLARISSA

"I've meant to get to get a new one." said Spencer as he leaned over to give Clarissa a peck on the lips, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Clarissa as a gift was placed on her lap, and a minute later, she realized that Spencer got her a gold locket.

"Open it," said Spencer.

Clarissa opened the locket and gasped when she saw a picture of her and Spencer together in the locket.

"That was the first picture you took of us together, and that locket will keep me with you when I move to Cambridge next August," said Spencer.

"I love it, Spencer," said Clarissa as she gently kissed Spencer on the lips while Sean made a funny gagging noise before Clarissa glared at her brother while Spencer blushed a bit.

"You two are so cute together." cooed Haley.

Spencer's face turned even redder while Clarissa blushed a bit before Hotch handed Spencer a box.

"This is from me," said Hotch.

Less than a minute later, Spencer grinned when he was holding up an FBI t-shirt.

"I thought that this should help motivate you since you're deciding to go down the FBI route," said Hotch.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"And tomorrow I'm planning on taking you to a shooting range so I can start giving you lessons," said Hotch.

Spencer slightly smirked, "My uncle has already taught me all about gun safety and how to shoot a gun."

"How good are you?" asked Hotch.

"I do better with a revolver than a law enforcement issued Glock," said Spencer.

"Good to know, but I'm still taking you to a range so I can get to know you a bit better," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxx

The following afternoon Spencer and Hotch were leaving the shooting range, and Hotch looked at Spencer, who was looking at the paper target he had with him, "In the academy, that would be a passing score, but they also use human paper targets," said Hotch.

"Uncle Gordon already taught me that shooting in places that would incapacitate rather than kill is better since that brings a chance of a trial. Also, he made sure I learned how to defend myself after a bullying incident happened that caused him to arrest a few classmates and have them registered as sex offenders since some of them were already 18," said Spencer.

Hotch decided to pull into a parking lot of a park so he could listen, "If you don't mind, would you please tell me what happened?" asked Hotch.

"I already told Clarissa, so I might as well tell you since this incident will be found in the background check that the FBI will do on me." said Spencer as he took a deep breath before continuing, "When I was 11, I was sitting in the library doing my homework since my uncle was running late from picking me up from school, and he told me to wait there for him since he would come inside the school to pick me up." said Spencer and he started to tell the story about Harper Hillman approaching him before being led to the football field where he was stripped naked, and how his uncle found him with the principal who was furious and told everyone to come inside the school so his uncle called for some back up to help him out while the principal contacted parents to go to the school, "And after that incident, the principal agreed to my uncle's decision on having one of the officers at my uncle's precinct be with me at all times to avoid a law suit that my uncle threatened for not doing a good job protecting me."

"Did you have counseling after that incident?" asked Hotch.

"My uncle made sure that I went to counseling, and during that time, the child psychologist realized that I have Asperger's syndrome since she saw in school reports that teachers were noticing the signs," said Spencer.

"At least you're not letting your Asperger's syndrome from following your dreams," said Hotch.

"My aunt told me that I would be doing great things in my life, and I know that I want to help people with my intelligence," said Spencer as his phone vibrated, and he saw a text message from Clarissa.

HALEY AND I ARE ALMOST DONE COOKING SUPPER. ~ CH

"Clarissa just sent me a text telling me that it's almost time for dinner," said Spencer.

"Then we should probably head back," said Hotch as he started his car back up.

xxxxxxxxx

The next day Spencer was up before anyone else, and he decided to head downstairs and make breakfast for his hosts and Clarissa. Just as he was putting breakfast on the table, Hotch, Haley, and Clarissa entered the kitchen together.

"You didn't have to make breakfast Spencer," said Haley as she took in the sight of pancakes, bacon, and shredded hash browns from scratch.

"Sometimes I find cooking relaxing," said Spencer as he started fixing himself a plate, causing the others to fix themselves plates.

"Sometimes, I'm jealous of your metabolism, but it could be all that sugar-laden coffee that you drink is the reason you're too skinny." teased Clarissa.

"My brain practically runs on glucose due to how active my mind is," said Spencer.

A minute later, everyone was sitting at the table eating their breakfast, and after eating a few bites, Haley looked at Spencer, "This is so good."

"I have to agree," said Hotch.

"Thank you. My aunt taught me how to cook at an early age, and I actually find cooking relaxing since it's basically chemistry since my aunt once told me that I just have to follow the instructions while cooking the food properly, and I will always have good results," said Spencer.

"That's a good analogy," said Hotch.

"I know," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Four days later, Spencer and Clarissa were sitting in the Hotchners living room with Aaron and Haley watching the ball drop on TV, and when it was officially 2001, Spencer kissed Clarissa while Aaron kissed Haley.

"Happy New Year, Clarissa," said Spencer.

"Happy New Year, Spencer," said Clarissa.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place from January of 2001 to May of 2001, so there are time jumps.
> 
> With Clarissa planning on being a pediatric nurse, I decided that she would convince Spencer to do magic tricks and read to kids who are being hospitalized in children's hospitals.

January of 2001

Spencer was waiting outside the building where Clarissa was taking her last class of the day, and he smiled when she met up with him, "How was your afternoon classes?" asked Spencer.

"They were OK, and I have a paper to write," said Clarissa.

"I will be glad to help edit it when you're finished," said Spencer.

"You're the best boyfriend ever," said Clarissa as she stood on her tiptoes and gave Spencer a peck on the lips.

"Should we head to our favorite coffee shop and get started on our homework before getting dinner?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Clarissa as she took ahold of Spencer's hand and led him to her car.

The next Saturday, Spencer looked at Clarissa as they walked to the entrance of Yale's New Haven Children's Hospital.

"Usually, children don't like me," said Spencer.

"They will love you when you do magic tricks and read to them," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later, Spencer and Clarissa were in a big day room with 10 kids who were all sitting in wheelchairs or sitting up in their hospital beds, and one of the young boys looked at Clarissa.

"Is this your boyfriend Clarissa?" asked seven-year-old Charlie.

"Yes, Charlie, and his name is Spencer Reid," said Clarissa as she introduced each child to Spencer, who committed the names and faces to memory.

"What are we doing today?" asked a five-year-old girl named Tabitha.

"I'm going to do some magic tricks for you kids before reading to you," said Spencer.

"You're a magician?" asked 12-year-old Lydia.

"I am," said Spencer as he quickly pulled a quarter out of his pocket and did some sleight of hand tricks before showing his empty palms.

"Wow!" shouted all 10 kids, excitably.

"Where did it go?" asked Charlie.

Spencer winked at Clarissa as she pulled a yellow rose out from behind her ear, causing all the kids to clap with excitement.

"Show something else." said eight-year-old Sammy.

Xxxx

After spending another 10 minutes of doing card tricks and using a pen to go through paper without ripping the paper, Spencer decided to do physics magic for the grand finale.

"I'm going to show you one of my favorite called physics magic before I start storytime. When I ask you kids to close your eyes, please follow my instructions," said Spencer.

"OK, Mr. Spencer." chorused all 10 kids.

"Please close your eyes." said Spencer before looking at Clarissa, "You too."

All 10 kids, including Clarissa, covered their eyes, and as soon as Spencer had the film canister ready, he looked at his girlfriend and the kids.

"You can look now," said Spencer.

Everyone uncovered their eyes, and Sammy looked at Spencer, "Nothing's happening," said Sammy.

"Just watched," said Spencer.

A few seconds later, the film canister shot up and flew across the room only to go through the open door and hit the wall, causing a nurse to come in as all the kids, including Clarissa, started laughing.

"Why did a film canister hit the wall?" asked a nurse as she held up a film canister.

"My boyfriend is doing a magic show for the kids, and he's showing some physics magic," said Clarissa as she introduced Spencer to the head nurse.

"Can I see?" asked Nurse Louise.

"Sure," said Spencer.

Lydia looked at Nurse Louise, "Mr. Spencer says that you need to cover your eyes."

"OK," said Nurse Louise.

Spencer instructed all the kids, including Clarissa and Nurse Louise, to close their eyes, and as soon as he had the canister ready, he told everyone to open their eyes.

"Nothing's happening," said Nurse Louise.

"Just watch." said an excited nine-year-old Elena.

The canister started bubbling up, and a few seconds later, the cartridge flew across the room, causing cheers from the children.

Nurse Louise looked at Spencer, "You might need to visit here once a month since the kids are having fun."

"I will come as often as I can since I will be transferring to MIT in August to work on my Ph.D. in chemistry since I have a BA in chemistry that my professor recommends I bump up into a PhD.," said Spencer.

"Your first Ph.D.?" asked Nurse Louise.

"Spencer's earning his second Ph.D. in engineering this May, and he already has a Ph.D. in mathematics." said a proud Clarissa.

"You must be brilliant to already have a PhD.," said Nurse Louise.

"I have an IQ of 187, eidetic memory, and a timed reading speed of 20,000 words per minute, and I graduated high school at 12," said Spencer as he noticed all kids look at him with awe.

"Could you help us with our homework?" asked 12-year-old Sarah.

"Falling behind in your classes?" asked Spencer as he looked at the head nurse.

"We do have teachers come in to make sure no one falls behind." said Nurse Louise before looking at Spencer, "Would you mind occasionally coming in to tutor kids, I can talk to the administrator who would most likely want to pay you for your services."

"I would do it for free," said Spencer.

"Thank you, Dr. Reid." said Nurse Louise as she shook hands with Spencer before looking at the kids, "I will let Spencer get back to entertaining your kids."

A minute later, Spencer decided to read to the kids since they had enough excitement from his magic tricks, and he learned a few chapters of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone" since a lot of the children were excited about the movie premiering in November. Clarissa couldn't help but smile when the youngest child in the room decided to sit on Spencer's lap despite the medical equipment attached to her.

xxxxxxxx

February of 2001

Spencer smiled when he saw Clarissa come outside for their first Valentine's Day together, and a few minutes later, Spencer was driving towards an indoor ice skating rink.

"Thank you for the flowers earlier," said Clarissa.

"You're welcome," said Spencer.

"So, where are we going first since you told me to dress warm?" asked Clarissa.

"Ice skating, and then we're going to our favorite diner for dinner and hot chocolate," said Spencer.

"Perfect way to spend our first Valentine's Day together," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

10 minutes later, Spencer and Clarissa were lacing up their rented ice skates, and a few minutes later, they stepped onto the ice and started skating while holding hands.

"So how are you doing on your dissertation?" asked Clarissa.

"I'm 80 percent done with it, and then I will have to stand in front of professors and defend it, which I'm nervous about," said Spencer.

"I think you're going to do great, Spencer," said Clarissa as other couples skated past them.

"I hope so," said Spencer.

"What plans do you have for spring break?" asked Clarissa.

"I'm going to spend Spring break here in New Haven working on my dissertation without having other homework interrupt me," said Spencer.

"What about spending spring break in DC with me? Aaron and Haley told me that you're welcome to stay over again for spring break," said Clarissa.

"I guess I will join you guys," said Spencer.

"I will let them know tomorrow since Haley wants me to tell her how we celebrated our first Valentine's Day together," said Clarissa.

"Think we can find out if I can put on a magic show for kids at Children's National?" asked Spencer.

"I think we can," said Clarissa as she let go of Spencer's hand since she decided to skater much faster, causing a laughing Spencer to chase after her.

Xxxx

March of 2001

Spencer and Clarissa entered the cancer ward of Yale's New Haven Children's Hospital, and a nurse smiled when she saw Clarissa and Spencer together.

"Some of the kids are already excited about you two visiting again to do a magic show, storytime, and a tutoring session for the older kids," said Nurse Bridget.

"It's the least we can do since I'm always trying to find a wider audience," said Spencer.

"I actually contacted one of my friends from Children's National, and she said that having you two entertain some of the kids during your spring break would be great," said Nurse Bridget.

"When I become a nurse, I'm hoping to work at that hospital," said Clarissa.

A minute later, Spencer and Clarissa entered the room where kids were either sitting in wheelchairs or in beds, and they all smiled with excitement when they saw Spencer and Clarissa.

"More magic tricks?" asked Tabitha.

Spencer knelt down to Tabitha's eye level, "Yes, Tabitha, and how would you like to be my assistant?" asked Spencer.

"Sure, Mr. Spencer," said Tabitha.

Spencer grabbed the handles of Tabitha's wheelchair, and a minute later, Spencer and Tabitha were in the middle of the circle that the nurses created.

"Can you do physics magic first?" asked 11-year-old Sadie.

"I sure can." chuckled Spencer as he thought about how all the kids are enjoying his physics magic.

A few minutes later, all kids were cheering and clapping as the film canister flew across the room, causing a few doctors and other nurses to come to watch the rest of the magic show.

Xxxx

Two weeks later, Spencer and Clarissa got out of Clarissa's car in front of Hotch's and Haley's home, and a minute later, Haley was helping them carry their bags into the house.

"Thank you for letting me stay here for spring break, Haley," said Spencer.

"Aaron and I don't have the heart to send you to a hotel, and you mentioned that your godparents are going on vacation," said Haley.

"When is Aaron coming home?" asked Clarissa.

"Aaron will be home in an hour," said Haley.

Xxxx

10 minutes later, Spencer and Clarissa were sitting in the living room with Haley, talking about their plans for Spring break.

"Tomorrow, Spencer and I are going to Children's National so Spencer can do a magic show for the kids," said Clarissa.

"How is that going?" asked Haley.

"The kids love me, and their favorite physics magic," said Spencer.

"Can you please show me?" asked Haley.

"Sure," said Spencer.

A few minutes later, Haley jumped when a film canister flew into the living, room luckily not hitting anything at all.

"That's so cool. Can you please show me how you did it?" asked Haley.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," smirked Spencer.

"Spencer hasn't shown me how to do physics magic either," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

Two hours later, Spencer and Clarissa were eating dinner with Hotch and Haley, and Hotch looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "So what are you two going to do for Spring break?" asked Hotch.

"I'm planning on using this week off to work on a good chunk of my dissertation," said Spencer.

"How is that going, by the way?" asked Hotch.

"I'm almost finished, and I'm going to be sad leaving Yale for MIT, but I know that I shouldn't stop my plans to stay close to Clarissa," said Spencer.

"Well, luckily, with the progress I'm making, I will be graduating next year in May, and if we're still together, I can easily move up to Cambridge and get a job," said Clarissa.

Haley looked at Spencer, "You definitely need to show Aaron your physics magic before we all retire for the night."

Spencer just shook his head.

Xxxx

The next day, Spencer and Clarissa were standing in one of the large playrooms of Children's National, and after the supervising nurse introduced the kids to Spencer and Clarissa, Spencer started his magic show for the kids while Clarissa was his assistant.

Xxxx

Late April of 2001

Spencer and Clarissa were sitting in a park enjoying a warm spring day as they watched a few kids leave the park with their parents when Spencer looked at Clarissa, "Do you want kids someday?" asked Spencer.

"I do, but I know that finishing nursing school first is more important," said Clarissa.

"I think you will be a great mother," said Spencer as he thought about how great Clarissa was with the kids all the time they went to various hospitals to entertain children for a few hours.

"You will be a great father someday, too," said Clarissa.

"I know," said Spencer as he thought about how some of the kids insist on sitting on his lap when he reads them stories.

Spencer and Clarissa started feeling a few raindrops, and Clarissa noticed that they were the only ones in the park, causing her quickly get up, grab Spencer's hand, and drag him to the grass as light drizzle became a gentle rain shower, "Please dance with me," said Clarissa as she gave Spencer her pleading look with her large blue eyes.

"You don't want to get out of this rain?" asked Spencer.

"I don't want to go inside yet, and I don't care if I get soaked since I have a change of clothes in your dorm," said Clarissa as she took hold of her boyfriend's hands.

Spencer shook his head and started to lead Clarissa in a slow dance while occasionally twirling her as the gentle rain shower ended up turning into a sudden downpour, causing the laughing young couple to be soaked to the skin in less than a minute as they continued to dance and splash in nearby puddles.

Xxx

May of 2001

Spencer grinned when he heard Clarissa, his godparents, Hotch, Haley, and Gideon all cheer for him as he accepted his second Ph.D. and shook hands with the president of the university before taking his seat on the stage since he was asked to give a speech.

Xxx

As soon as the ceremony was over, he made his way over to Clarissa. His godparents, Hotch, Haley, and Gideon, who were waiting for him.

"Congratulations on earning your second Ph.D., Dr. Reid," said Gideon as he shook hands with Spencer.

"I appreciate you coming all the way up here," said Spencer.

"I had some vacation time set up, and I wanted to help Clarissa move out of her dorm," said Gideon.

Haley pulled Spencer into a hug, "That was a very touching speech you gave."

"I was shocked when a bunch of my professors asked me to give a speech, and I knew that I couldn't resist talking about how I didn't let the deaths of my aunt and uncle stop me from finishing my Ph.D. in engineering," said Spencer before shaking hands with Hotch.

"Congratulations," said Hotch.

"Thank you," said Spencer before he was embraced by his godmother.

"Your parents, aunt Ethel, and uncle Gordon would be so proud of you," said Alex as she hugged her godson before straightening his cap.

"I know," said Spencer as he accepted a hug from his godfather before being pulled into a kiss by Clarissa despite the wolf whistles that a few of his classmates were giving.

"I'm so proud of you, Spencer," said Clarissa as she decided to remove the cap that her boyfriend was wearing and place it on her own head, causing everyone, including Spencer, to laugh.

"So, where are you staying until moving to Cambridge?" asked Haley.

At that moment, Alex decided to speak up, "With James and I, and you guys already know that Spencer's going to spend the few months getting started on a BA in psychology through Georgetown."

Spencer looked at his girlfriend, "At least we have a few months together before you have to come back here while I move up to Cambridge."

"And we're planning on making every minute count," said Clarissa.

At that moment, Dr. Richards made his way over and approached Spencer and shook his hand, "I'm going to miss being your academic adviser, but you do deserve to earn your Ph.D. in chemistry at MIT with the full academic scholarship you were offered."

"I know that MIT has more to offer when I'm working on my Ph.D. in chemistry, but we are going to spend two weekends a month together since we will be over two hours apart when fall term starts up," said Spencer as he kissed Clarissa on the cheek.

"Don't forget spending holidays together too," said Clarissa as she took hold of Spencer's hand.

"I see that you two are still going strong." smiled Dr. Richards as he thought about how much of a good influence Clarissa has been on Spencer since the deaths of his aunt and uncle.

"Spencer and I talked about me joining him up in Cambridge if we're still dating when I finish my associate degree of nursing since I can easily find a job up there," said Clarissa.

Dr. Richards looked at Spencer, "I hope you never let this girl go since she has been a good influence on you."

Everyone smiled as they thought about how Clarissa got Spencer to loosen up the past five months before James became serious, "We might as well go out to dinner to celebrate, and tomorrow we have to get you two lovebirds moved out of your dorms."

Xxx

The next day Hotch, Haley, Gideon, Alex, and James were helping Spencer and Clarissa move out of their dorms before heading down to DC where the movers were already moving everything from the house that Spencer lived in into a storage shed that Alex and James paid for since he, Ethel, and Gordon moved to New Haven.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this chapter starts on the six month anniversary of Ethel's and Gordon's death (November 28th was the date of Ethel and Gordon's deaths meaning that May 28th is the six month anniversary).
> 
> I decided to have the chapter that deals with summer break be in two parts. Spencer may do a few out of character things, but with Clarissa's personality, she's getting Spencer to break out of his shell.

Alex woke up to crying, and 30 seconds later, she and James were in Spencer's bedroom and saw Spencer sobbing in his sleep.

A minute later Alex was sitting on Spencer's bed stroking his hair as she comforted her godson, "It's alright, Spencer." soothed Alex as she realized that it was the six month anniversary of Ethel's and Gordon's deaths.

At that moment, Spencer woke up to see his godparents in his bedroom, "Sorry that I woke you guys." croaked Spencer as he sat up.

"It's the six month anniversary of your aunt and uncle's deaths, and it's OK if you're sad today," said Alex as she hugged her godson.

"I know," said Spencer.

Alex looked at the digital clock on Spencer's nightstand and saw that it was 6 AM, remembering that she has off due to it being the last Monday in May, "With it being Memorial Day, what do you say about inviting Hotch, Gideon, Haley, and Clarissa over for a barbecue?" asked Alex.

"I like your idea, Aunt Alex since I need some good distractions," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Six hours later, Spencer was sitting away from his godparents, Hotch, Haley, Gideon, and Clarissa, looking at a picture of him with his aunt and uncle when he heard a voice.

"You OK, Spencer?" asked Clarissa as she sat down next to Spencer.

"I just can't believe that it's been six months since the police came to my dorm to tell me the news about aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon being killed by a drunk driver." said Spencer as he looked down at the last picture taken of him with his aunt and uncle before looking at his girlfriend with a soft smile on his face, "And in two days it will be six months of one of the best days of my life."

"Meeting you was one of the best days of my life too, Spencer." said Clarissa as she pecked Spencer on the lips before looking at him as she thought about the chess lessons Spencer and Gideon have both gave her, "What do you think about playing a game of chess?" asked Clarissa.

"I will go grab my board," said Spencer.

"I will wait here," said Clarissa.

Spencer got up and ran towards the house to grab the board from his bedroom, and as soon as he closed the patio door and rushed up the stairs, Gideon looked at Alex, "Is Spencer, OK?" asked Gideon.

Alex looked at Gideon, Hotch, and Haley, "It's the six month anniversary of the deaths of his aunt and uncle and having you guys and Clarissa here was my way to help distract him today." said Alex before looking at Hotch, "I was afraid that he would have been worse than he was when I attended his parents funeral, but with how your little sister entered his life he bounced back much quicker than I thought he would."

A minute later, Spencer came back outside carrying a box and sprinted over to Clarissa, and the adults watched the young couple set up board together, causing Gideon to squint before smiling when he saw the game that they were about to play.

"Chess?" asked Gideon.

"Spencer's late uncle Daniel taught him how to play a few months before he, Diana, and William died in that car crash together," said Alex.

"How good is he at chess?" asked Gideon.

"He always beats me," said Alex.

James looked back from the grill where he was grilling burgers, "He beats me too."

"I think I might have to coax him to play against me later," said Gideon as he thought about the games of chess he had against Rossi.

"He will definitely enjoy playing against you," said Alex.

A few hours later, Spencer was playing chess against Gideon for the very first time, and as soon as Gideon checkmated him, Spencer slightly scowled, "I guess I finally met my match," muttered Spencer.

Xxxxx

The next day Spencer was sitting at the kitchen island with Alex and James, and Alex looked at Spencer, "I made arrangements for us to visit Georgetown University today since they're going to help you register for online correspondence on the BA in psychology you're wanting," said Alex.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"But please don't spend all summer working on that degree since you're on summer break right now," said Alex.

"I know. Clarissa mentioned that she's going to make sure we spend every afternoon together, rain or shine," said Spencer.

"That's probably a good idea since there's a lot to do in DC, Maryland, and Virginia," said Alex.

"I know," said Spencer.

Alex looked at the clock before looking at Spencer, "Our meeting is in 45 minutes," said Alex as she decided to give Spencer another helping of bacon.

Spencer focused on finishing his breakfast.

Xxxx

A half-hour later, Spencer entered Georgetown University with Alex, and a short while later, he was meeting with the dean and the head of the psychology department who were both looking at Spencer's records from Yale. Before he knew it, Spencer was registered for online classes and given what he needed to complete his BA through online correspondence.

Xxxx

Later that morning, Spencer was already starting to work on his BA in psychology when his cellphone rang, and he saw it was Alex.

Spencer answered his phone, "You're leaving for a case?" asked Spencer.

"No case, but I'm working on a case file right now. I need a certain book to help me. So do you think you can stop by the office and bring me the book I need before you hang out with Clarissa this afternoon?" asked Alex as she named the title.

"Sure," said Spencer.

"I will let security know that you are on the list of approved visitors for me," said Alex before hanging up so she could start making arrangements for Spencer to come up to the sixth floor.

Spencer quickly found the book that his godmother asked him to grab before looking down at his jeans and t-shirt, making him decide that he needed to put something nicer on since he was going to a government building. After changing into khakis, a dress shirt, and a sweater vest, he grabbed the keys to the ancient Volvo that his aunt and uncle got him for earning his first Ph.D. and started the hour-long drive to Quantico.

Xxxxx

Over an hour later, Spencer was standing in the elevator fiddling with his visitor badge, and when he got to the sixth floor, he saw his godmother waiting by the elevators.

Spencer passed her the book, "Here."

Alex hugged her godson, "Thank you, Spencer."

"You're welcome, Aunt Alex," said Spencer, and he looked at the glass doors that led to the bullpen for the BAU just as a blond agent around Alex's age stepped out.

"Shouldn't you be working on your consults right now, Blake?" asked Strauss.

"My godson brought me something that I need for one of the consults I'm working on." said Alex as she looked at Strauss, "Chief Strauss, this is my 19-year-old godson Dr. Spencer Reid, and he's staying with me for the summer before he moves to Cambridge this August to attend MIT." said Alex before looking at Spencer, "Spencer, this is my section chief Erin Strauss."

Spencer looked at the older woman who looked like his mother when it came to having blonde hair and blue eyes, "Nice to meet you, ma'am," said Spencer shyly.

Chief Strauss shook hands with Spencer, "Blake has told me about you, and I have to say congratulations on your second Ph.D., Dr. Reid.

Spencer looked at his godmother, "It still feels strange being addressed as Dr. Reid, despite only being 19."

"You worked hard for those two PhDs, Spencer," said Alex.

"I know," said Spencer.

At that moment, both Hotch and Gideon stepped through the glass doors and briefly smiled a bit when they saw Spencer.

"Is Clarissa with you?" asked Hotch.

"She isn't, but I'm meeting with her for lunch," said Spencer.

"What are you two going to do after lunch?" asked Gideon.

"When I talked to Clarissa this morning, she mentioned that she got us tickets to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's permanent exhibition," said Spencer.

"Tell Clarissa that I say hi," said Alex.

"I will," said Spencer.

Strauss looked at Spencer, "You met Clarissa at Yale?" asked Strauss.

"Yes, ma'am," said Spencer.

"What do your parents think of Clarissa?" asked Strauss as she thought about the brief interactions she had with Clarissa and how she liked her instantly.

Spencer's face saddened a bit as Alex rested a hand on Spencer's arm and squeezed it, "They were killed by a drunk driver when I was four, and I was raised by my aunt and uncle until their deaths six months ago."

"I'm sorry," said Strauss as she realized that the young man who was standing in front of her has dealt with so much pain while still finding the happiness that everyone deserves.

Spencer looked at his watch, "I'm supposed to be meeting up with Clarissa in 90 minutes, so I have to get going."

Alex looked at her godson, "I will see you when I get home. If I have a case, I will call you."

"OK, and I promise to drive safely," said Spencer and accepted a hug from his godmother before pressing the elevator button.

After the elevator doors closed, Strauss looked at Gideon, "Is that the young man that you're pulling strings for to get into the academy before he reaches the minimum age requirement?" asked Strauss.

Gideon nodded, "Yes, and I believe that he will be an integral part of the BAU since he impressed me at the lecture I gave at Yale last year."

"With the interactions I had with him for the past six months, I'm impressed with how much he knows at his age," said Hotch.

"He seemed a bit shy," said Strauss.

"He has Asperger's syndrome which causes him to be shy when meeting new people. Having Clarissa in his life helped break him out of his shell while giving him the chance to be the 19-year-old college student he deserves to be since he had to act a lot older than his age when he started Yale over a month before turning 13."

Xxxxx

Two days later, Spencer was in the front passenger seat of Clarissa's car and looked at his girlfriend as she drove, "Where are you taking us to celebrate the six month anniversary of our first meeting?" asked Spencer.

"We're going to my favorite amusement park, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. I told you to bring a spare change of clothes just in case we go on any of the three water rides to cool down," said Clarissa.

"I've never been to Busch Gardens, but I have been to amusement parks with Aunt Ethel and Uncle Gordon," said Spencer.

"You're going to enjoy Busch Gardens," said Clarissa as she noticed that they were an hour away from Williamsburg.

"Don't be surprised if I ramble about the engineering aspects of the rides we go on," said Spencer.

"I won't," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

Three hours later, Spencer and Clarissa burst out laughing as the raft they were riding on passed through a waterfall, causing both Spencer and Clarissa to be thoroughly soaked head to toe as they rode through the rapids of Roman Rapids.

As soon as they got off the ride, Clarissa looked at her boyfriend while admiring how his soaking wet clothes were clinging to his skin while showing off the slight amount of muscles that he developed after all the workouts they did together over the past six months. Then she realized that she needed to cool down before she breaks her rule about no sex until marriage and take him to a hotel room to get his clothes off him.

"Want to go again, or do you want to go on another water ride?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer looked at his girlfriend and noticed how his girlfriend's soaking wet clothes were hugging her curves in all the right places, causing him to think if they should dry off and head to a hotel, and he didn't know how long he was staring at her until he felt a hand on his face.

"Spencer," said Clarissa in a sing-song voice.

"What?" asked Spencer as he felt his face heating up.

Clarissa giggled, "We should go back on Roman Rapids so we can both cool down," said Clarissa as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and dragged him towards the line.

Xxxx

Six hours later, Spencer and Clarissa were leaving Busch Gardens in dry clothes.

Xxx

As soon as they were on the highway, Clarissa looked at Spencer, "I know that we talked about having kids someday, but when it comes to having sex, I'm the type of person who waits until marrying the right guy," said Clarissa.

"I understand since we've only known each other for six months, and I could give you the statistics about why people should wait until marriage since waiting until marriage helps develop healthier relationships," said Spencer.

"At least we're on the same page," said Clarissa.

"My aunt and uncle told me to wait until marriage," said Spencer as his stomach growled.

Clarissa giggled, "Let's get something to eat before I take you home."

Xxxx

Two weeks later, Spencer and Clarissa were hiking on one of Clarissa's favorite trails.

Xxx

After an hour of hiking, Clarissa smiled when she saw the lake that she used to go swimming in with her brothers as a child was unoccupied, "Let's take a break here for a while," said Clarissa as she removed her backpack, causing Spencer to follow suit.

"It's beautiful here," said Spencer as he took in the sight of the lake.

"Barely anyone comes here, and this is my favorite lake to go swimming in," said Clarissa.

"Lake Mead was my favorite lake to go swimming in when I was a child," said Spencer.

Clarissa noticed the sweat that was soaking the collar of Spencer's t-shirt and how shiny his forehead looked, "Speaking of swimming, let's go swimming right now since we're both hot and sweaty." said Clarissa as she grabbed Spencer's hand and tugged it, "Come on."

"Can I remove my shirt first?" asked Spencer.

"Nope," said Clarissa as she started sprinting towards the dock, causing Spencer to start running since she kept a firm hold on his hand, and 15 seconds later, they were jumping into the seven-foot deep lake.

As soon as they resurfaced, they were laughing their heads off as they continued to tread in the cool lake.

"I feel so much better now," said Clarissa as she took in the sight of Spencer's wet curls clinging to his forehead.

"Me too," said Spencer as he continues to tread water.

Clarissa decided to be playful by diving under to pull Spencer under.

As soon as they resurfaced, Spencer smirked at her, "Oh, it's on," said Spencer as he splashed water at Clarissa, starting a splashing war before they decided to do relays to see who can swim the fastest despite feeling the heaviness of their soaking wet clothes.

Xxxx

Over a half-hour later, Spencer and Clarissa were laying side by side on a blanket as they allowed the sun to dry them off while Spencer's shirt laid on the grass to dry, and after putting together for a half-hour, Clarissa looked at her shirtless boyfriend and noticed that he was beginning to look less pale.

"How were you able to swim around effortlessly despite how heavy your clothes probably felt?" asked Clarissa.

"My uncle Gordon made sure that I took swimming lessons when I was a child. With how fast I was excelling with my swimming lessons, he decided to have an in-ground swimming pool built into the backyard. As soon as the pool was filled with water, one of the first things he had me learn was how to handle swimming in different layers since he and aunt Ethel were worried that my clumsiness would cause me to fall into the pool fully clothed," said Spencer.

"Makes sense since not all clothing weighs the same," said Clarissa as clouds started to move in, causing her to look at Spencer.

"We should probably head back since it seems like it's going to rain," said Clarissa just as she felt a raindrop hit her arm.

Spencer quickly pulled his t-shirt back on before helping Clarissa pack up her blanket just as a downpour started causing them to break out into a sprint, and as soon as they reached Clarissa's car, they were thoroughly soaked to the skin again.

Xxxxx

Later that evening, Spencer was eating dinner with his godparents, and Alex looked at her godson, who was wearing different clothes than he was wearing when all three adults sat down for breakfast.

"I take it that you got caught in the rain when you were with Clarissa this afternoon," said Alex.  
Spencer nodded as he chewed his dinner before speaking up, "Clarissa took me to one of her favorite inland lakes that she loved swimming in as a child, and with how hot it was she decided that we needed to go swimming fully clothed to cool down," said Spencer before taking a sip of his soda before he continued, "After spending nearly 45 minutes swimming in the lake, we ended up laying on the blanket and talked while we allowed the sun to dry us off before it started to downpour making us head back to Clarissa's car."

"I'm glad that you had fun today," said Alex as she thought about what Spencer and Clarissa have done together the past few weeks, causing Spencer to be more animated than she ever saw him be as a child.

"I'm glad too," said Spencer.

"With how she's your polar opposite when it comes to personality while you both have the same mutual interests, I have a huge feeling that your relationship with Clarissa is going to last a really long time," said Alex.

"I hope so too," said Spencer.

At that moment, Spencer, Alex, and James decided to finish eating dinner before sitting down in the living room to play Scrabble.


	7. Chapter 7

Clarissa rang the doorbell and raised her eyebrow when she heard violin music stop less than 30 seconds before Spencer opened the door.

"What's up?" asked Spencer as he stepped aside to let Clarissa into the house.

"Were you just playing Mozart's "The Magic Flute" on your violin?" asked Clarissa when she noticed her boyfriend's violin on the end table.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"Can you please do a repeat performance for me?" asked Clarissa.

"Anything for you." said Spencer as he picked up his violin, and as soon as he got his violin into the correct position he started playing "The Magic Flute" with his eyes closed leaving Clarissa in awe as she knew that with his eidetic memory he didn't need sheet music.

When he was finished, Clarissa was clapping as a few tears streamed down her face, "That was beautiful."

"Thanks," said Spencer.

Clarissa remembered her boyfriend's cello causing her to look at her Spencer, "Can you play your cello for me?" asked Clarissa.

"Sure," said Spencer as he headed upstairs and grabbed his cello from his bedroom, and a few minutes later he was playing one of his favorite cello pieces.

Xxxx

A week later Spencer and Clarissa were sitting with Hotch, Gideon, Alex, and James on Blake's patio for the 4th of July, and Clarissa looked at Spencer, "Do you think you can put on an impromptu concert?" asked Clarissa.

"What type of concert?" asked Gideon.

Spencer looked at Gideon and remembered that he never told Gideon about knowing how to play the piano, violin, and cello, "After the deaths of my parents my aunt decided to sign me up for piano lessons to help distract me. I ended up mastering the piano, violin, and cello very quickly due to my eidetic memory and applying music to mathematics."

"Would you mind playing either the violin or cello for me if you have your instruments here?" asked Gideon.

"Sure," said Spencer as he got up and headed inside to grab his violin.

Five minutes later Spencer was playing "Moonlight Sonata" on his violin, and as soon as he was done, Spencer noticed that Haley and Clarissa were both wiping tears.

"That was beautiful, Spencer," said Haley.

"There were times that my uncle cried since he mentioned that my mom was a gifted violinist," said Spencer.

Alex flashed back to one of the last times she saw Spencer's mother before looking at her godson, "She definitely was Spencer, and I see some of you in your mom every day since you inherited her curls, facial features, and intelligence while having your dad's brown eyes and brown hair."

Xxxx

The following Monday, Spencer and Clarissa were sitting in the Blakes living room watching a movie, and all of a sudden Spencer felt some extreme pain in his abdomen, causing him to groan as he clutched his belly.

"You OK?" asked Clarissa.

"I'm just dealing with some abdominal pain," said Spencer.

Clarissa nodded, "If you're not feeling better in a few hours, I'll take you to the doctor."

"OK," said Spencer.

Five hours later Spencer was hunching over the toilet as he vomited for the second time causing Clarissa to frown.

"You look like you're burning up. Let me take your temperature, please," said Clarissa.

"OK," said Spencer.

A minute later, Clarissa boyfriend's temperature and grimaced when she saw that her boyfriend had a temperature of 101 degrees causing her to ask Spencer a series of questions based on his symptoms before looking at her boyfriend, "We're going to the hospital because you're showing symptoms of appendicitis, and I will call Alex as soon as we get there." said Clarissa as she helped her boyfriend stand up, and a few minutes later she was driving Spencer to the nearest hospital.

Xxxx

Four hours later Clarissa was stroking Spencer's hair in Spencer's cubicle when a doctor came into the room and looked at Spencer as he read the CT scan results.

"You have appendicitis, and you're heading down to surgery in 10 minutes," said Dr. Wong.

Alex rushed into the cubicle, "Thank you for calling me Clarissa." said Alex as she looked at the doctor, "I'm his godmother and medical power of attorney Dr. Alex Blake."

Dr. Wong shook hands with Alex, "I'm Dr. Wong, and I will be operating on your godson."

"So is it appendicitis?" asked Alex.

"It is, and a nurse and I will be taking him down to the operating room in 10 minutes," said Dr. Wong.

"Do you know about Spencer's severe allergy to Beta Lactams?" asked Alex.

"I saw it in Spencer's medical records," said Dr. Wong.

Spencer looked at Alex, "I'm sorry that you had to leave work." said Spencer and groaned in pain before he grabbed the basin that was placed in front of him and vomited.

"I just got off the plane when Clarissa got ahold of me, and Gideon told me that you're more important than work right now," said Alex as she rubbed her godson's back.

A minute later Clarissa was looking at her boyfriend as she wiped some sweat off Spencer's forehead, "I will be there when you wake up." said Clarissa as she kissed Spencer on the forehead before removing his glasses, "I will keep your glasses safe."

"I love you, Clarissa," said Spencer.

"Love you too," said Clarissa as she squeezed Spencer's hand.

Xxxx

30 minutes later Clarissa was pacing in the surgical waiting room while Alex sat in a nearby chair.

"He's going to be OK since your medical knowledge helped you realize that you needed to bring him here," said Alex.

"I know, and we never said 'I love you' to each other until 30 minutes ago," said Clarissa as she sat down next to Alex.

Hotch and Haley came into the room, "How's Spencer?" asked Haley as she hugged her sister-in-law.

"He's currently having an appendectomy," said Clarissa.

"Are you sure you don't want to become a medical doctor instead of a pediatric nurse?" asked Hotch.

"I prefer being a nurse instead of a doctor since you decided to become an FBI agent instead of being a prosecutor," said Clarissa.

Haley smirked at her husband, "She got you there, Aaron." said Haley as she gave her sister-in-law a high five.

Alex looked at Clarissa, "I have a feeling that we are going to be fighting over who gets to take care of Spencer as soon as he gets out of the hospital."

"I know," said Clarissa.

"Don't forget about me," said Haley.

"You practically adopted my boyfriend already," said Clarissa as she smirked at her sister-in-law.

Haley looked at Alex, "Where's James?" asked Haley.

"He's in China right now since his vacation time is over, but I did leave him a message to let him know what's going on," said Alex.

"Think he's going to come home?" asked Clarissa.

"I don't know yet, but I told him in my message that Spencer should be fine," said Alex.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer woke up feeling much better than earlier despite the dull pain in his abdomen before he felt Clarissa's hand in his IV free hand and squeezed, causing Clarissa to look at him.

"Now there are those beautiful brown eyes that I love," said Clarissa as she adjusted her boyfriend's hospital bed before helping him get an ice cube in his mouth.

As soon as his mouth was moistened he looked at Clarissa and his godmother despite not being able to see anyone.

"Open or laparoscopic?" asked Spencer.

"Open, and you're going to be here until Thursday," said Clarissa as she threaded her boyfriend's glasses onto the bridge of his nose.

"And I have off until next Monday, but when I go back to work Clarissa's going to take care of you," said Alex as she pressed the call button and a minute later a nurse came in.

"I see you're awake Spencer," said Nurse Christina before she jotted down Spencer's vitals while asking Spencer some questions about his pain levels before leaving the room.

A minute after, Spencer let out a huge yawn, and Clarissa looked at her boyfriend, "Get some rest since the anesthesia is still wearing off." said Clarissa as she removed her boyfriend's glasses.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" asked Spencer.

"I will be right here, and I will see if you can eat some jello when you wake up," said Clarissa.

A minute later Spencer was fast asleep in his hospital bed.

Xxx

The next morning, Clarissa entered one of the playrooms at Children's National when a few kids instantly had disappointed looks on their faces when they didn't see Spencer.

"No Spencer?" asked 11-year-old Samantha.

"Spencer's in another hospital right now since he had to get his appendix removed yesterday evening, and he's going to be hospitalized until Thursday. So it's going to be a few weeks before he's up to giving you kids another magic show," said Clarissa as she looked at the sad faces of seven kids.

"Can we please make Spencer some get well soon cards?" asked 8-year-old Thomas, causing a few kids who have met Spencer before chime in about making Spencer cards too.

"That's a lovely idea Thomas," said Clarissa.

The supervising nurse quickly went to get materials for the cards, and 10 minutes later Clarissa and a few nurses were assisting the kids in making get well soon cards.

Xxxx

Three hours later Spencer was sitting up in his hospital bed helping Clarissa with her crossword puzzle when Gideon entered the room.

"How are you feeling Spencer?" asked Gideon as he set a chessboard on the rolling table.

"Much better than yesterday, and I'm more awake than I was this morning," said Spencer as he couldn't help but smile when he saw the chessboard that Gideon brought.

Gideon looked at Clarissa while remembering that Alex told him that Clarissa stayed the night, "Why don't you go eat some non-hospital food and go home to take a shower while I keep Spencer company for a few hours."

"OK." said Clarissa before glaring at her boyfriend, "I don't want to hear about you arguing with your nurse about wanting to be discharged against medical advice, and I will warn the nurses about your puppy dog eyes and pout," said Clarissa before kissing her boyfriend's forehead and left the room.

A minute later Gideon was setting up the chessboard and looked at Spencer, "Getting a bit restless in the hospital?" asked Gideon.

"I really don't like hospitals due to the lighting, but I'm getting used to spending a few hours a day in children's hospitals since I enjoy doing magic shows for kids," said Spencer.

"As soon as you recover, you can go back to entertaining kids." said Gideon as he noticed some get well soon cards made from construction paper, "Get well soon cards from the kids you entertained?"

"Clarissa and I were supposed to entertain the kids at Children's National for a few hours this morning, and I told her to go and read to them. Let's just say that all the kids decided to ditch story time so they could make me get well soon cards," said Spencer.

"You think of having kids of your own someday?" asked Gideon as he moved a chess piece.

"When I marry the right girl," said Spencer as he figured out his move before moving a chess piece.

"Thinking about asking Clarissa to become Mrs. Reid someday?" asked Gideon.

"Yeah, but I'm the type of guy who prefers to ask for a blessing while waiting until after getting married to have kids," said Spencer.

Gideon nodded, "You have a ring?" asked Gideon.

"While going through my aunt's and uncle's house, I found my mom's old engagement ring," said Spencer.

"Knowing Clarissa, she would love to wear your mother's engagement ring when you ask her to become Mrs. Reid," said Gideon.

"I think so too," said Spencer.

At that moment both men decided to focus on their chess match, and Gideon smirked when he moved his last piece, "Checkmate." said Gideon.

"Why do I even bother," muttered Spencer.

"Just think about all the chess matches we would have if you get into the B.A.U.," said Gideon.

"I just want to get through the academy first, and I still have to wait another two years before I will be a cadet," said Spencer.

"Speaking of being a cadet in two years, do you think you can handle the physical portion of training?" asked Gideon as he thought about the school records that he was able to get hold of.

"Let's just say that when it came to being exempt from physical education due to being the youngest in my class, my uncle made sure that I stayed fit by taking me running with him every day while we did push-ups and sit-ups together," said Spencer.

Gideon gave him a look.

"I have confidence that I can handle physical training without waivers since I exercise regularly to stay healthy, but for now I really can't do exercising until my doctor clears me," said Spencer as he pointed at his abdomen.

"I will let the Director know that you won't need exemptions since Hotch told me that you had self-defense lessons while your uncle taught you how to handle and shoot a gun," said Gideon.

"So you saw the targets that I gave Hotch permission to show you?" asked Spencer.

"I sure did, and I was actually impressed," said Gideon.

"Uncle Gordon was one of the best sharpshooters in Nevada and eventually Connecticut," said Spencer.

Spencer and Gideon started talking about books until Clarissa came back in clean clothes while bringing jello for Spencer.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer shook his head when Alex and Clarissa got him comfortable on the couch in his godparents living room, and after Clarissa fluffed his pillows he smiled at his girlfriend, "Would you believe it that you were my most favorite nurse in the hospital?" asked Spencer as he flirted with his girlfriend.

Clarissa giggled, "I'm not a registered nurse yet, but you are my favorite patient." said Clarissa as she kissed her boyfriend's forehead before covering him up with a blanket, "Get some sleep, Spencer."

A few minutes later Alex and Clarissa were sitting in the kitchen over a cup of coffee.

"Are you staying for dinner?" asked Alex.

"I'm planning on it," said Clarissa.

"Well I have to run to the store and get a few groceries, so I would highly appreciate it that you stay here with Spencer," said Alex.

"Spencer should be fine with me, and if there are any problems I will call you," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Clarissa was sitting in the living room reading while Spencer slept on the couch.

Xxxx

Four days later Alex pulled up at the Hotchners, and a few minutes later Clarissa was helping Spencer get situated on the couch while Haley and Alex talked in the kitchen.

"Thank you for taking him in while I work," said Alex.

"You're welcome Alex, and he will be fine with Clarissa and me. And if you have a case, he's welcome to stay in the guest bedroom until you get back," said Haley.

"I appreciate your help," said Alex.

"I developed a soft spot for your godson instantly, and let's just say that when my father met Spencer last Christmas, they ended up bonding over magic tricks," said Haley.

Xxxx

Later that evening Hotch and Alex entered the house to see Clarissa sitting on the couch with Spencer's head on her lap while they both watched "Star Trek", and they decided to leave the young couple alone by heading to the kitchen where Haley was cooking dinner.

"How did Spencer do today?" asked Alex as Hotch gave Haley a quick kiss.

"There were no complications, and if he was about to protest on eating and taking his medication Clarissa just glared at him, and her glare got him to cooperate." said a snickering Haley.

"She definitely has the Hotchner glare down." said a proud Hotch.

"Ethel and Gordon told me in the past that Spencer could be stubborn sometimes, and I've noticed that Clarissa has been easing some of Spencer's stubbornness away," said Alex.

Haley checked dinner, and looked at Alex, "You and Spencer are staying for dinner."

"I don't want to intrude," said Alex.

"I decided to make one of Spencer's favorites, and knowing Spencer he's probably got to head up to bed and go to sleep as soon as you two get home so I want to make sure he eats dinner," said Haley.

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, Hotch, Haley, and Alex were sitting around the dining room table, and Alex looked at her godson, "Aren't you supposed to have your post-operation appointment tomorrow?" asked Alex.

"Yes, and Clarissa offered to take me," said Spencer.

Alex looked at Clarissa, "Thank you for your help this past week."

"You're welcome," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

The next day Spencer was laying on an exam table as a nurse removed his stitches, and when the nurse was finished she looked at Spencer.

"I assume that you know that you're still supposed to take it easy for a few more weeks?" asked the nurse as she applied a bandage.

"Yes ma'am, and luckily I will be recovered enough to make the drive to Cambridge to attend MIT next month," said Spencer as he slipped on the hospital gown that he was instructed to put on.

"What degree are you working on?" asked the nurse.

"I'm going to be studying for my third Ph.D. in chemistry, and I should have it by May of 2003," said Spencer.

"Impressive." said the nurse before looking at Spencer, "Well I will go see if Dr. Wong is ready to do his post-operation appointment." said the nurse before leaving the room.

A few minutes later Dr. Wong entered the room and smiled when he saw Spencer and Clarissa.

"You're looking much better, Spencer," said Dr. Wong as he shook hands with Spencer.

"I feel great, and it helps that my girlfriend is studying to become a nurse," said Spencer as he winked at Clarissa, who was blushing.

Dr. Wong looked at Spencer, "So I recall that you're starting at MIT next month, and what degree are you working on again?" asked Dr. Wong as he started his exam.

"A Ph.D. in chemistry, and after earning my Ph.D. in chemistry I'm going to be getting into the FBI academy since they want me to wait until I'm 21," said Spencer before he stopped talking so he could answer Dr. Wong's questions before he was told that he could put his shirt back on.

Xxxx

Over a month later Spencer, Clarissa, and Alex were loading Spencer's belongings into Spencer's Volvo, and Spencer looked at Clarissa after he closed his trunk.

"I will call you as soon as I get my belongings into my dorm," said Spencer.

Clarissa stood on her tiptoes a bit to give Spencer a peck on the lips before Alex could have a moment with him, "Please call me when you arrive at MIT, and if you need anything shipped to you please call me." said Alex as she hugged her godson.

"I promise," said Spencer.

"You should get going," said Alex as she gave her godson one last hug before Spencer got into the driver's seat of his Volvo, and after waving to Alex and his girlfriend he started his over seven and a half-hour drive to Cambridge, Massachusetts.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts a week after Clarissa moves back to New Haven, and Spencer and Clarissa decided that they would visit each other twice a month while visiting each other for their birthdays while going down to DC for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
> 
> September 11th, of 2001 will be mentioned in this chapter since Clarissa would be extremely emotional due to the kids that were on those four planes or in the World Trade Center who died. I was a seven year old second grader when 9/11 happened, and I recall being in the library with my class and seeing the librarians watching TV. After returning to my second grade classroom, my teacher sat my classmates and I down on the carpet and told us that there was a terrorist attack and told us to think about the second graders who lost their parents that day or the parents who lost their second graders.

September of 2001

Spencer grinned when Clarissa pulled up into the parking lot, and less than 30 seconds later he was hugging and kissing her despite a few wolf whistles that were going around.

"I missed you these past two weeks," said Clarissa.

"I missed you too," said Spencer.

"Since I'm only here for 12 hours, what do you have in mind for us to do today?" asked Clarissa.

"Give you a tour of the campus," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was showing Clarissa around M.I.T.

An hour later they were sitting in a nearby coffee shop drinking coffee and sharing a brownie.

"So what are you doing to earn spending money?" asked Clarissa as she took a sip of her coffee.

"I'm a teaching assistant for one of the mathematics professors, and next year I will finally be able to access that trust fund," said Spencer.

"But are you still going to keep that job after you're able to access the account?" asked Clarissa.

"I am," said Spencer.

At that moment Spencer and Clarissa decided to talk about how their classes have been going and some of the hacks that Spencer has witnessed so far.

Xxxx

A few days later Spencer was hugging a crying Clarissa.

"It's horrible that kids died in those four plane crashes today." sobbed Clarissa.

"I know," said Spencer as he rubbed Clarissa's back.

"Thank you for driving here since all flights are currently canceled." sobbed Clarissa.

"I'm upset about what happened today too, and what happened is another huge reason why I'm joining the FBI because of the possibility of stopping possible terrorist attacks from happening," said Spencer as he continued to comfort a sobbing Clarissa.

Xxx

October of 2001

Nearly a month later Spencer was getting ready for the day when his cellphone rang. He smiled when he saw that it was Clarissa, causing him to answer it right away.

"Good morning Clarissa," said Spencer.

"Happy 20th birthday Spencer," said Clarissa.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"So are you excited about me coming up to Cambridge this weekend to belatedly celebrate your birthday?" asked Clarissa.

"I am," said Spencer before looking at his alarm clock, "I have to get going since I have to go eat breakfast before my first class of the day."

"I have to go eat breakfast too, and I will call you tonight," said Clarissa as she exchanged love yous with Spencer before hanging up.

Xxxx

Four days later Spencer was being attacked with hugs and kisses from Clarissa, and 20 minutes later they were sitting in a nearby diner when Clarissa pulled a small box out of her purse, "Happy birthday." said Clarissa as she watched her boyfriend unwrap his gift.

20 seconds later Spencer was staring at a gold pocket watch.

"Open it up," said Clarissa.

Spencer opened up the watch and smiled when he saw a picture of him and Clarissa together on their last day of summer vacation, "It's perfect," said Spencer as he leaned forward and gave her a kiss.

"Just so you know, I'm paying for our lunch," said Clarissa.

Spencer shook his head as a waitress approached them, and five minutes later they were sipping coffee while they waited for their meals.

"Excited about our upcoming trip to DC for Thanksgiving?" asked Clarissa.

"I am," said Spencer as he thought about the plans that he had.

At that moment Spencer and Clarissa started talking about their classes and the hack that Spencer helped pull on campus due to his engineering skills while they waited for their food to arrive.

Xxxx

November of 2001

Over a month later Spencer and Clarissa entered Hotch's and Haley's house, and Haley engulfed Spencer in a hug right away, "Glad that you were able to join us, Spencer," said Haley.

"I didn't feel like going to Kansas City, Missouri with my godparents," said Spencer before he nodded at Hotch.

"Please take your bags upstairs and lunch will be done in a half-hour," said Haley.

Xxxx

Five minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were back downstairs, and Hotch noticed a pensive look on Spencer's face while remembering that the one year anniversary of the deaths of Spencer's aunt and uncle was less than a week away, "Let's go talk in my office," said Hotch.

A minute later Hotch was closing the door of his study and looked at Spencer who sat down in a chair, "How are you doing with the upcoming anniversary of the deaths of your aunt and uncle?" asked Hotch.

"I'm doing OK, and my professors excused me from my classes until December 3rd since they're aware that the one year anniversary of the deaths of my aunt and uncle are next week. I will be staying with my former academic adviser since a few officers from the precinct that my uncle worked at invited me to go out to dinner with them in honor of my uncle," said Spencer.

"That's nice of them," said Hotch.

"They became uncles to me, and I actually got along with a few of their sons since uncle Gordon and I joined a few officers and their sons on father/son camping trips, paintball matches and fishing trips like we did in Las Vegas," said Spencer.

"Plus it's good that you will be in New Haven during the one year anniversary of the day you met Clarissa," said Hotch with a small smile on his face.

At that moment Spencer took a deep breath, "Speaking of the one year anniversary of the day that Clarissa and I met being next Friday, I would like your blessing to ask your little sister to marry me."

Hotch started asking Spencer certain questions, and after Spencer's answers pleased Hotch, Hotch looked at the young man he became fond of, "You have my blessing to ask my baby sister to marry you."

"Thank you," sighed Spencer.

"And with how much she loves you, I doubt that she will say no," said Hotch.

Spencer relaxed a bit, "I have the confidence that she will say yes."

"You have a ring?" asked Hotch.

Spencer reached for his messenger bag, pulled out a small jewelry box and showed Hotch the ring, "My aunt and uncle saved my mother's engagement ring for when

I found the girl that I want to marry."

Hotch looked at the ring, "She's definitely going to be honored to wear your mother's engagement ring, and if you didn't have an engagement ring I would have given you the one that belonged to my mom." said Hotch as he reached into his gun safe and pulled out the ring and Spencer looked at it.

"Which ring do you think Clarissa would prefer?" asked Spencer.

"I think that she would most likely want to wear your mother's ring, but show her this ring after you propose to her and let her choose," said Hotch as he passed Spencer the ring.

"I guess I will show her both, and I will let her choose after I ask her the big question," said Spencer.

"When are you planning on proposing to her?" asked Hotch.

"November 30th since it will be the one year anniversary of our first meeting, and I'm planning on proposing at the bench where she approached me," said Spencer.

"Haley would say that would be romantic," said Hotch.

"I know," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at the clock, "We should head back downstairs since lunch will be done in a few minutes," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was eating lunch with Hotch, Haley, and Clarissa when Spencer looked at Haley, "So how do you guys usually do Thanksgiving?" asked Spencer.

"Clarissa, my mom, Jessica, and I take care of cooking together while the men hang out in the living room," said Haley.

"Usually I would help my aunt and uncle cook Thanksgiving dinner," said Spencer.

Haley looked at Spencer, "Even though you're a great cook, I'm not going to have you be in the kitchen since there's going to be girl talk." said Haley.

Xxxx

The next day Clarissa was helping Haley, Jessica, and Mrs. Brooks cook Thanksgiving dinner.

"How are things going with Spencer?" asked Jessica.

"Things are going great, and he's spending all of next week in New Haven since it will be the one year anniversary of the deaths of his aunt and uncle," said Clarissa.

"Do you think he will ask you to marry him soon?" asked Haley.

"If he's going to propose to me, I wouldn't be surprised if he waits until after I finish nursing school in May," said Clarissa, not realizing she was wrong.

Xxx

Meanwhile, in the living room, Spencer was practicing the magic trick that he was going to do while he proposed to Clarissa just as Roy Brooks approached him and he noticed a vintage engagement ring, "Is that an engagement ring?" asked a whispering Roy.

"It belonged to my mom, and I asked Hotch for his blessing so I'm practicing the trick I'm going to do when I propose," whispered Spencer.

"Now how about you show me some magic tricks that you have been learning since the last time we saw each other," said Roy as he thought about how he has bonded with the boyfriend of his son in law's baby sister through magic tricks.

Spencer grinned at the man who has been acting like a grandfather to him since Clarissa introduced him to her sister in law's father.

Xxxx

An hour later Spencer and Clarissa were sitting next to each other at the dining room table with Hotch, Haley, Sean, Haley's parents, and Jessica talking and laughing over Thanksgiving dinner.

Xxxx

Six days later Spencer entered the restaurant where a few officers were already waiting for him, "Glad you could make it Spencer." said Detective Rodgers as he pulled Spencer into a hug.

"My professors at MIT excused me from their classes this week due to the one year anniversary," said Spencer.

"So how are you doing?" asked Detective Rodgers.

"I miss Aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon, but I know that they would be very proud of me for not letting their deaths cause me to fall apart," said Spencer.

"I agree," said Sergeant Johnson.

"So how is it going at MIT?" asked Detective Rodgers.

"I'm passing all my chemistry classes, and my lab partner and I already caused three small explosions in one of their chemistry labs when an experiment went wrong," said Spencer, causing a few officers to laugh since they've been told stories about Spencer's chemistry experiments going wrong.

"And you still don't want to become a chemist instead of an FBI agent?" asked Sergeant Johnson as he thought about how since Spencer tutored his son on chemistry his son is working on a BA in the subject.

"Uncle Gordon was the one to insist that I go down the FBI route since he encouraged me to attend Agent Gideon's lecture, and luckily my girlfriend is a huge reason why the FBI already decided to waive the age requirement for me so I can join next May," said Spencer.

"Why didn't Clarissa come with you?" asked Detective Rodgers.

"She's working on a paper right now, and she told me that I should continue these dinner plans," said Spencer as a waitress came to take their orders.

Xxxx

20 minutes later Spencer was exchanging stories with Sergeant Johnson and Detective Rodgers about his uncle over their dinner.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer and Clarissa were walking towards the park they met at, and when Spencer found the bench he was sitting on when Clarissa approached him, he motioned for her to sit down.

"Is everything OK, Spence?" asked Clarissa.

"A year ago today you found me sitting on this bench when I was mourning the deaths of my aunt and uncle, and you didn't let me be alone since you insisted that I join you and your brother for lunch, starting one of the best years of my life." said Spencer as he knelt down causing Clarissa to gasp, "Would you continue making me a happy man by becoming my wife?" asked Spencer as he did a slight of hand trick with his mother's old engagement ring and made it appear out of plain sight.

At that moment a teary-eyed Clarissa noticed a diamond ring in the palm of Spencer's hand, "Yes," gasped Clarissa and tears streamed down her face as Spencer put the ring on the correct finger before they kissed each other despite people who were watching clapping and wolf-whistling.

Spencer noticed Clarissa examining her engagement ring, "It's my mother's engagement ring," said Spencer as he used his thumb to wipe the tears that were streaming down Clarissa's face.

"It's perfect," said Clarissa as she wiped tears that were falling off Spencer's face.

"I also have your mother's engagement ring since your brother gave it to me just in case," said Spencer as he pulled out the ring that belonged to Clarissa's mother.

"I prefer your mother's engagement ring, Spencer." said Clarissa as she gently kissed her fiance on the lips, "I consider this ring as an early birthday present, so you don't need to get me anything big for when I turn 20 in 15 days."

"OK." said Spencer before realizing that with being engaged they should think about a date to get married, "When do you want to get married?"

"I want to finish school first, so how about November 30th of next year?" asked Clarissa.

"That date would be perfect since it's also a Saturday," said Spencer.

Xxxx

December 2001

The day before Christmas Eve, Spencer and Clarissa entered Hotch's and Haley's house together, and after Haley hugged the engaged couple she looked at Clarissa.

"Since I couldn't make it up to New Haven for your birthday, please show me your engagement ring," said Haley.

Clarissa removed her winter gloves, and Haley gasped at the ring.  
"It's beautiful." said Haley before looking at Spencer, "You definitely have good taste."

"It was my mother's engagement ring," said Spencer as he found the ring that Hotch gave him and passed it back to Hotch.

"Now Sean can use this ring if he finds a girl to marry," said Hotch as he looked at his younger brother.

"I just want to stay single for as long as I can," said Sean.

Xxxx

20 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were eating lunch with Hotch, Haley, and Sean when Haley looked at the two 20-year-olds.

"So have you two set a date yet?" asked Haley.

"November 30th of next year," said Clarissa.

"Are you two getting married in a church or a courthouse?" asked Haley.

"We decided on a church wedding since I want to have that fairytale wedding that I always dreamed of," said Clarissa.

"With the wedding being nearly 11 months away, why don't you two let me handle the planning so you can focus on college for now," said Haley.

"OK," said Spencer and Clarissa in unison.

Xxxxx

An hour later Haley took Clarissa into her bedroom and pulled a garment bag out of the closet, "When your mother died, I found her wedding dress when I helped

Aaron go through the house and I think you should try it on," said Haley.

"OK," said Clarissa.

Xxxxx

10 minutes later Clarissa was standing in front of a mirror wearing her mother's wedding dress, and Clarissa looked at Haley who had tears streaming down her face.

"You look beautiful in that dress," said Haley.

"I have to say that it's perfect, and I can't wait to have Spencer see it on me," said Clarissa as she twirled around in the dress.

Haley helped Clarissa get out of her mother's wedding dress, and when Clarissa was back in her normal clothes Haley looked at her.

"At least we have a few things done, but for now finishing up nursing school is more important before you join Spencer in Cambridge," said Haley.

"I know, and it shouldn't be a problem being separated for one more semester since we both handled being separated for the fall semester just fine," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Haley and Clarissa joined the men downstairs, and Clarissa looked at her fiance.

"I have the perfect wedding dress already, but for now we need to focus on our second Christmas together," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

A few days later Spencer and Clarissa shared a kiss at midnight while saying Happy New Year to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The next chapter will take place nearly a year later on Spencer's and Clarissa's wedding day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the length of Spencer's hair in this chapter think about the length Spencer's hair was in season 7's episode Hope.
> 
> Here's what Clarissa's wedding dress looks like even though it's a vintage dress from the 1950's. In order to see a picture of the dress, please ignore the spaces when typing in this link, and the dress has short sleeves and is floor length.
> 
> chicvintage / wp-content/uploads/ 2013/09/14
> 
> This chapter takes place nearly a year later on November 29th and 30th of 2002. Spencer's now 21 and Clarissa's 15 days from turning 21, and I was told that even though Clarissa is almost 21 she would have the OK to have one glass of champagne for the toast before doing non alcoholic beverages for the rest of the day/night since her oldest brother would give her permission.
> 
> Let's just say that Clarissa's a Christian and Spencer's Catholic, and they decided to get married in Clarissa's childhood church since Spencer converted for Clarissa.

The night before the wedding Spencer was sitting in his bedroom at his godparents' house looking at a picture of himself and his parents when he was four-years-old when Alex knocked on the open door.

"May I come in Spencer?" asked Alex.

Spencer nodded on his godmother, "Sure.

Alex joined her godson on his bed and looked at the photo that Spencer was looking at, "They will be watching you from above tomorrow with your aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon." said Alex as she smoothed down her godson's much shorter hair, "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"I am, but I'm glad that I'm taking this path with Clarissa since I want to spend the rest of my life with her," said Spencer before yawning.

"Think about getting some sleep since it's your big day tomorrow," said Alex as she gave her godson a kiss on the forehead before leaving his bedroom and heading to the wall where there were photos of Spencer with her late son together as kids while thinking about how glad she was having the honor of being mother of the groom for Spencer.

Xxxx

Meanwhile at Hotch and Haley's Clarissa was sitting on the back porch looking at the stars when Hotch joined her.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" asked Hotch.

"I am, but I'm glad that I get to spend the rest of my life as Mrs. Clarissa Reid," said Clarissa.

Hotch looked at his sister as he wondered about where the little girl who would dress up in princess dresses while making him give her piggyback rides go, "I just can't believe that you will be Mrs. Clarissa Reid tomorrow," said Hotch.

"But I will always be a Hotchner," smiled Clarissa.

"I know," said Hotch before they started to talk about Clarissa's antics as a child before they headed to bed themselves.

Xxxx

The following day at 12:30 PM Spencer stood in the room where he was told to wait with his best friend from childhood and fellow genius Ethan Hyde when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," called Spencer.

Alex and James stepped into the room, "Now there's my godson," said Alex as she took in the sight of her late best friend's son dressed in a tuxedo for his wedding day.

"I'm glad that you offered to be the mother of the groom for me, Alex," said Spencer as he hugged his godmother.

"I'm the reason why your parents met, and I was your mom's maid of honor," said Alex.

James reached out and straightened his godson's black bow tie before Alex and James spent the next 10 minutes giving Spencer advice about saying his vows.

Xxxx

Meanwhile, in the bridal suite, Clarissa was standing in front of the mirror in her late mother's wedding dress, and her nearly black hair was pulled into a single French braid while flowers were weaved through her hair.

Haley looked at Clarissa, "With your mom's wedding dress being something old, the tiara is something borrowed from me, the necklace that you're wearing is something new from Alex, what's your something blue?" asked Haley.

Clarissa smirked as she lifted the skirt of her wedding dress, and Haley chuckled at the blue converse sneakers that Clarissa was sporting.

"That works," said Haley.

At that moment there was a knock on the door, and Haley quickly looked to see her husband, "Come in Aaron," said Haley.

Aaron came into the room and saw his baby sister dressed for her wedding day, "Mom would have loved to see you like this today," said Hotch as he hugged Clarissa.

"I know," said Clarissa as a tear fell down her face.

"It's a good thing I decided that you would wear waterproof make up," said Haley as she left the room so the brother and sister could have time alone since the wedding was starting in 20 minutes.

Xxxx

20 minutes later Ethan looked at Spencer as they stood in front of the church since the ceremony was about to start, and Spencer smiled softly at how many friends he made at Yale and MIT have made it to the wedding despite him being in DC all week since he was excused from classes due to the two year anniversary of the deaths of his aunt and uncle.

"Nervous?" asked Ethan.

"Yeah, but I know that I will be leaving this church with the most beautiful girl in the world who will be my wife," said Spencer.

"At least you will get to enjoy married life for six months before we're required to report to Quantico together for the academy," said Ethan.

"I know," said Spencer.

At that moment the music started, and after watching Clarissa's maid of honor and best friend Jasmine from high school walk down the aisle, 10 seconds later Spencer's eyes went wide when he saw Clarissa coming through the doors in a simple vintage short sleeved floor length wedding dress that he assumed was from the 1950s since Clarissa mentioned that her dress belonged to her mom.

"Breath, Spencer," murmured Ethan.

Two minutes later Clarissa and Hotch approached them, and Hotch shook Spencer's hand, "Take good care of her," whispered Hotch before he went to join Haley and Sean in the front pew.

A few seconds later Spencer and Clarissa were facing each other while their hands were clasped together, and a few seconds later Clarissa's childhood minister Reverend Patrick Daniels looked at everyone who was now sitting down.

"We are gathered here today in the sight of God, and the presence of friends and loved ones, to celebrate one of life's greatest moments. We are here to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes and blessings to the words that will unite Spencer and Clarissa in holy matrimony," started Reverend Daniels before he looked at the bride's side of the church, "Who gives Clarissa to be married?"

Hotch and Sean both stood up, "We do," both men stated.

"Spencer and Clarissa, marriage is the most important of all earthly relationships. It should be entered into reverently, thoughtfully and with full understanding of its sacred nature. Your marriage must stand by the strength of your love and the power of faith in each other and in God. Just as two threads woven in opposite directions form a beautiful tapestry, so to your two lives when merged together will make a beautiful marriage," said Reverend Daniels and he took a deep breath before reciting a prayer, "Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud. Love is never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable or tough. Love does not hold grudges and will hardly notice when others do it wrong. Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to them no matter what the costs. You will always believe in them, always expect the best in them, and will always stand your ground in defending them."

"Spencer and Clarissa decided to write their own vows." said Reverend Daniels before looking at Spencer, "You may go first Spencer."

Spencer took a deep breath as he remembered the vows he came up with, "When we met two years ago today I was dealing with one of the worst moments of my life since the two people who raised me for nearly 15 years when I became an orphan were taken away from me. You helped me get through the grief by helping me pack up the house I spent my teenage years in while allowing me to hold your hand during the funeral, and a few weeks after the funeral I knew that I wanted something more with you since I was told that I would know it when I find my soul mate. You gave me a reason to smile and laugh again while thinking about my own future," said Spencer as he wiped a tear that was streaming down his face before continuing, "I never thought that with being a genius with an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory, and a timed reading speed of 20,000 words per minute I would ever find love, but fate brought us together causing us to form a strong bond. I promise that you will be my one and only true love, and I will be there for you during the good times and bad times like you were for me these past two years."

Spencer nodded at the Reverend Daniels as he wiped the happy tears that were falling down Clarissa's face and noticed the tears streaming down his godmother's and Haley's faces.

"Clarissa you may state your vows," said Reverend Daniels.

Clarissa looked at Spencer, "Two years ago today I saw you sitting on that bench looking sad, and I instantly knew that you needed a friend since you were dealing with a horrible tragedy. You traveled down to New Haven from Cambridge so I could cry on your shoulder after hearing about the lives that were lost during September 11th of last year or when the children I helped take care of lost their battles. Even though I might not be a genius with an IQ of 187 and an eidetic memory like you do, I will always cherish everything I learn from you since I enjoy your ramblings," said Clarissa as she gained a few chuckles before she continued, "I promise that I will continue being there through the good and bad times, help you smile and laugh when you're feeling down while getting you to continue to try out new things."

"Spencer, do you take Clarissa to be your wife?" asked Reverend Daniels.  
Spencer looked into Clarissa's eyes, "I do."

"Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others and holding onto her forevermore?" asked Reverend Daniels.

"I do," said Spencer.

Reverend Daniels looked at Clarissa, "Clarissa, do you take Spencer to be your husband?" asked Reverend Daniels.

"I do," said Clarissa.

"Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding onto him forevermore?" asked Reverend Daniels.

"I do," said Clarissa.

Reverend Daniels looked at Ethan, "May I please have the rings?" asked Reverend Daniels.

Ethan handed the minster the rings, and Reverend Daniels looked at everyone as he held up the rings, "The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken," said Reverend Daniels before he handed Spencer Clarissa's wedding band while telling him what to say before Spencer repeated it.

"I Spencer, take thee, Clarissa, to be my wife. To have and hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, and I promise my love to you. With this ring I take you as my wife, for as long as we both shall live," said Spencer before he slipped the wedding band onto Clarissa's left ring finger.

Reverend Daniels passed Spencer's wedding band to Clarissa and told her what to say before Clarissa repeated it, "I Clarissa, take thee, Spencer, to be my husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, and I promise my love to you. And with this ring, I take you as my husband, for as long as we both shall live," said Clarissa before she slid Spencer's wedding band onto his left ring finger.

Reverend Daniels looked at the young couple who both had happy tears streaming down their faces, "By the power vested in me and the state of Virginia I now pronounce you husband and wife," said Reverend Daniels before looking at Spencer, "Spencer you may kiss your bride."

Spencer gently lifted up Clarissa's veil before he pulled her into a gentle but long kiss as all their guests clapped for the newly married couple before they walked to the room there were told to wait while their guests lined up to greet them.

Xxxx

A short while later Spencer and Clarissa were thanking their guests for attending, and Spencer's eyes went wide when David Rossi approached them.

"You look very beautiful today, Clarissa," said Rossi.

"I'm so glad you made it, Dave," said Clarissa as she hugged her oldest brother's former coworker.

"When you called to invite me to the wedding I couldn't object meeting the man who made an honest woman out of you," said Rossi before looking at Spencer, "I'm David Rossi," said Rossi, as he shook hands with a starstruck Spencer.

"It's an honor to meet you sir since I read your first book, and I believe you once worked with my late uncle Gordon Tucker," said Spencer.

Rossi instantly remembered Spencer's uncle while thinking about a news article that he read two years ago about Gordon and Ethel Tucker being killed by a drunk driver.

"I've worked with him before, and I'm sorry for your loss," said Rossi before looking at the newly married couple, "Just so you know I was the one to pay for the catering and the DJ for tonight's reception."

"You didn't have to, Dave," said Clarissa.

"It's my wedding gift for you two," said Rossi before walking away so other guests could congratulate the newly wedded couple before they got into the limo that would take them to a few places where they were going to get their pictures taken before heading to the Washington Plaza Hotel where the reception would take place before Spencer and Clarissa spent the night in the honeymoon suite before they board their flight to Cambridge.

Xxxx 

A few hours later Spencer and Clarissa shook their head when a bunch of guests started clinking their knives to their glasses, causing the young couple to stop eating their dinner and kiss.

"It seems like no one wants us to eat," teased Clarissa.

"I know," grinned Spencer before he kissed his wife again.

A short while later Spencer and Clarissa were each holding a small piece of cake, Clarissa looked at her husband, "Let's feed each other at the same time," said Clarissa.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few seconds later everyone was cheering when Spencer and Clarissa got frosting on each other's faces, and after kissing the frosting off each other's lips Clarissa giggled at her husband.

"It's a good thing you opted for your contacts today or we would be cleaning off your glasses," said Clarissa.

"I know," said Spencer before he swooped Clarissa into another kiss causing a few wolf whistles from a few former classmates from Yale and current classmates from MIT.

Xxxx

After everything from dinner and cake was cleaned up, the DJ who was finally set up for the night looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "Now it's time for the bride's and groom's first dance as a married couple," said the DJ.

A minute later Spencer and Clarissa were standing in the middle of the empty dance floor. As soon as the opening chords of "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley started playing, Spencer started leading Clarissa on the dance floor while they made eye contact the entire time.

When the song was over Clarissa stood on her tiptoes a bit and whispered in Spencer's ear, "I'm glad we decided to do "Can't Help Falling in Love" as our first dance," said Clarissa.

"My parents danced to that song during their first dance as husband and wife," said Spencer.

"Let's pick things up a bit so anyone else who wants to dance come onto the dance floor," said the DJ as he started playing "You're My Best Friend" by Queen.

Spencer started leading Clarissa in a bit of a faster pace as other guests joined them on the dance floor, and after dancing to a few songs together, Hotch stepped up to dance with Clarissa while Spencer danced with Haley.

"That song was a beautiful choice for your first dance," said Haley.

"My parents danced to "Can't Help Falling in Love" as their first dance as husband and wife so we decided to honor them," said Spencer before he twirled the wife of his new brother in law on the dance floor.

Xxxx

A short while later Spencer and Clarissa were both taking a break from dancing so they could watch their guests dance on the dance floor when Rossi joined them at the table and looked at Spencer, "Jason and Aaron mentioned that you're entering the FBI academy next May after you earn your third PhD," said Rossi as he thought about what Gideon told him about Spencer's qualifications and how he would be a good fit for the BAU.

"I'm excited and nervous since I saw what working for law enforcement did to my uncle since there were cases that haunted him," said Spencer.

"And having Clarissa to go home to will help you deal with the horrors you will see," said Rossi.

"I know," said Spencer.

"So when are you two going on your honeymoon?" asked Rossi.

"We're going to the Bahamas after Christmas since I have to go back to work on Monday and Spencer has classes to finish up this semester," said Clarissa.

At that moment Rossi looked at Spencer, "Mind if I steal your beautiful wife for a dance?" asked Rossi.

"Go ahead," said Spencer.

At that moment Rossi helped Clarissa stand up, and a minute later Hotch was sitting by him, "So what do you think of Dave?" asked Hotch.

"I'm glad that I finally got to meet him," said Spencer.

"I'll be separated from Clarissa for about six more months before you two move down here so you can get started at the academy," said Hotch.

"Clarissa mentioned her staying with you and Haley, and after I find out my posting we will move wherever I'm placed and buy a house together," said Spencer.

"Clarissa told me that last night, and you're required to stay in the dorms until after graduation," said Hotch.

"I know, but I know that everything will work out since Clarissa and I handled spending the first six months of our engagement in separate states," said Spencer as Rossi and Clarissa came back, and less than a minute later Spencer and Clarissa were dancing with each other again.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer carried Clarissa into their honeymoon suite, and a minute later Spencer was helping Clarissa get out of her wedding dress before she helped Spencer get out of his tuxedo, and Clarissa smirked when Spencer was eying her body that was wearing white lingerie.

"Ready for our first time having sex?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer nodded, and a minute later they were making love for the very first time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided not to write about Spencer's and Clarissa's honeymoon, and you readers can imagine these activities that Spencer and Clarissa did: all the trips to the beach, snorkeling, visiting historic towns, and lots of sex.
> 
> Spencer and Clarissa live in a one bedroom apartment a blocks away from MIT that MIT provided for Spencer in his full academic scholarship.
> 
> Ethel had a sister named Elena Brown who is currently institutionalized for paranoid schizophrenia that was caused by a drug addiction, and with there being no surviving family left, Spencer decided to take care of his adoptive aunt's care which Clarissa supports. And Elena was Diana's teaching assistant when she was alive, and became Diana's replacement after she died.

January of 2003

A few days after the spring semester started, Spencer and Clarissa were walking through a pet expo and Clarissa gasped when she saw a white Maine Coon kitten.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "Can we please get a kitten?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer looked at the tag, "It's a Maine Coon, and that breed is known for getting large," said Spencer as the kitten batted its paw out of the cage.

"You are so cute," cooed Clarissa as she petted the kitten causing it to purr, "Please pet the kitten."

Spencer slowly reached out to the kitten, and the kitten surprised him by licking his finger.

At that moment a sales associate came forward.

"He hasn't liked anyone petting him until you two came forward." said the associate when he noticed the wedding band or bridal set that the young couple was sporting, telling him that they're newlyweds, "Getting your first pet together as a married couple?"

"We are since we want to wait a few months before trying for our first baby, and we decided on a cat," said Clarissa.

"Would you like to adopt that Maine Coon?" asked the associate.

"Yes please," said Spencer.

Xxx

20 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were leaving the expo with supplies and their new kitten that they ended up naming Merton after Thomas Merton.

Xxxx

Two weeks later Spencer and Clarissa woke up to the 6 AM alarm on Spencer's cellphone to seeing the power out and their bedroom a lot colder, causing them to look out the window.

"Damn," said Clarissa as she noticed all the snow on the ground.

"I'm used to nor'easters like this, and at least we prepared ourselves for this one," said Spencer as he thought back to how they stocked up on nonperishables and blankets.

"Just think about the possibility of going sledding after this blizzard is over," said Clarissa as she thought back to the times they went sledding since meeting each other.

Spencer laughed.

"Or think about how we could keep each other warm," teased Clarissa as she winked at her husband, causing Spencer to groan when he felt his body reacting.

At that moment bedroom plans were diminished when Spencer's stomach growled.

Clarissa giggled, "We should probably fuel ourselves first so we can have calories to burn off when we make love to keep

ourselves warm," teased Clarissa as she led her husband to the kitchen, "Well its a good thing that we have a gas stove."

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were working on making scrambled eggs, bacon, and homemade shredded hash browns for breakfast before Clarissa decided to sit on her husband's lap while they ate, and when Clarissa shifted Spencer groaned.

"You're so going to get it when we're done eating," growled Spencer

"Promises, promises," purred Clarissa as she shifted again, causing her husband to groan.

Xxxx

February of 2003

Spencer and Clarissa exited the movie theater after seeing "Kangaroo Jack" when Clarissa looked at Spencer, "That movie was extremely funny," said Clarissa.

"I actually have to agree," said Spencer.

"Should we go to our favorite diner before heading to our apartment to continue celebrating our first Valentine's Day as a married couple even more since we don't have work or school tomorrow?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Xxx

10 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were sitting in their usual booth ordering burgers, milkshakes, and fries.

Xxxx

90 minutes later Spencer gulped when he saw Clarissa's red lingerie set, and he looked at his wife, "Have I ever told you that I love seeing you in red?" asked Spencer as he felt his body reacting to Clarissa's lingerie.

"Countless times," smirked Clarissa as she removed her husband's shirt, and a few minutes later they were making out in bed.

Xxxx

March

A month later Clarissa looked at her husband as they sat down to eat the breakfast they cooked together, "I got the week off for your spring break, so I was thinking that we can finally go on that promised trip to Las Vegas," said Clarissa.

"Vegas will do since I haven't been there since three months before aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon died, and that means I can go visit aunt Ethel's sister at Bennington Sanitarium," said Spencer.

"Why have you never taken it upon yourself to visit Elena after the deaths of your aunt and uncle?" asked Clarissa as she thought about meeting Elena at the funeral.

"I felt guilty having aunt Ethel leave her sister so I could attend Yale, and aunt Elena sometimes thinks that aunt Ethel is still alive when she's having an episode," said Spencer before looking at his watch, "You have work in an hour and I have class in 30 minutes so I have to get going."

"Should we make chicken stir fry for dinner tonight?" asked Clarissa.

"Sure," said Spencer as he got up and placed his empty plate in the sink.

Xxx

Two weeks later Spencer and Clarissa got out of their rental car, and a few minutes later they were entering Bennington Sanitarium where Dr. Jesson instantly approached them.

"It's been over two and a half years since you showed up, Dr. Reid," chided Dr. Jesson before looking at Clarissa, "You must be Clarissa Reid since Elena showed me pictures from the wedding."

"I am," said Clarissa.

"How is aunt Elena doing?" asked Spencer.

"When it comes to schizophrenia, she has good days and bad days, but your daily letters help her since you tell her the adventures you two have while writing about happy memories you had with Ethel to help her remember that her big sister is gone," said Dr. Jesson.

"She was my mom's teaching assistant before my parents were killed, and she's all I have left from my aunt Ethel," said Spencer.

"Well she will be glad that you were finally able to make it in person since she's been wanting to see you, and I need to talk to you about medication," said Dr. Jesson.

"I will track you down after I'm done visiting aunt Elena," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were sitting across from Elena, and Elena looked at her adoptive nephew, "So why are you finally visiting me despite the phone calls we've had since Ethel died?" asked Elena.

Spencer sighed in relief, knowing that his adoptive aunt was currently lucid, "I thought that I should let you know that

I'm entering the FBI Academy in May," said Spencer.

"You're really becoming one of them?" asked Elena.

Spencer sighed, knowing that his adoptive aunt hated the government, "I will be doing good for this country, and think about all the lives I can save while working for the FBI," said Spencer.

"I wish that you would have become a professor like your mom was," said Elena.

"I know, but as soon as Clarissa and I get a house I will make sure that you have my address," said Spencer.

At that moment Elena quickly remembered Spencer's and Clarissa's cat, "So what's new with your kitten Merton?" asked Elena.

Spencer and Clarissa took turns telling Elena about Merton's antics, and 10 minutes into the conversation Elena spoke.

"Are you two here for my lecture?" asked Elena.

Spencer played into his aunt's delusion causing Clarissa to join in, and a few minutes later Spencer was meeting with Dr. Jesson before they left the hospital to go eat lunch at one of Spencer's favorite diners.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer and Clarissa were standing in front of the graves of Diana and William Reid.

"Hi, mom. Hi dad. Last month was the 17th anniversary of your deaths, and by now you two are watching me with aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon who died over two years ago," said Spencer as he wiped his tears, "I thought I should let you two know that I'm OK since I got married last November to one of the most beautiful girls in the world. I think that if you guys were alive you two would have loved Clarissa. I'm two months away from earning my third Ph.D., and after graduation, Clarissa and I are moving down to DC since I got into the FBI Academy since I decided to become an FBI agent."

Xxxx

For the next 20 minutes, Spencer told his parents about the past couple of years before he and Clarissa headed back to their rental car, and when they were about to leave the cemetery, Clarissa looked at her husband, "Want to go try out the casinos?" asked Clarissa.

"With my card counting abilities I would probably end up getting blacklisted within an hour, but I guess we can go so I can make sure that aunt Elena's medical care gets covered for a really long time," said Spencer.

"If you get banned from casinos I won't say a word since we're at a legal age to gamble," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

May of 2003

A month later Clarissa was cleaning out her locker when her mentor walked by with coffee, causing her to sprint off to the bathroom, and a few seconds later her mentor was holding back her hair. A few minutes later Clarissa was brushing her teeth while Nurse Jolene smirked at her.

"I take it that you have a bun in the oven since my coffee caused you to deal with morning sickness," said Jolene.

Clarissa's eyes widened as she looked at her mentor, "It's been over two months since my last period," said Clarissa.

"Let me contact the maternity ward and see if the on-call gynecologist can squeeze you in since you're moving to DC in three days, and that means you have a good graduation gift for your husband," said Jolene.

Xxxx

An hour later Clarissa was allowing happy ears to stream down her face as she was told that she's currently eight-weeks pregnant before allowing a transvaginal ultrasound to be performed and got prescribed anti-nausea medication.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer smiled when he heard Clarissa, Haley, Hotch, Gideon, and Alex all cheering for him in the audience as he received his third Ph.D., and as soon as the ceremony was over he made his way towards Clarissa who ran into his arms.

"We are so going to celebrate later," said Clarissa as she thought about the celebration they were also going to have when she tells him that she's pregnant.

"I know," said Spencer

At that moment Gideon looked at him, "Ready to start at the academy next week?" asked Gideon.

"I am since I spent the past two and a half years preparing myself for the physical portion of the academy," said Spencer.

"How much more packing do you two have to do?" asked Haley as she thought about Clarissa calling her and Aaron two days ago to tell them that they were going to be having their first niece or nephew.

"We only a few more boxes to pack up, and we're driving down to DC tomorrow," said Clarissa.

"Have you heard back from Children's National?" asked Hotch.

"I got the job," beamed Clarissa.

"Well let's go out to eat to celebrate before we leave you two kids to finish packing your apartment," said Gideon.

Xxxx

Four hours later Spencer and Clarissa taped up the last box when Clarissa handed Spencer a sealed envelope.

"Congratulations," said Clarissa as she smiled at her husband.

Spencer opened up the card and gasped when he saw an ultrasound photo with a note.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR Ph.D. IN CHEMISTRY DADDY. MOMMY TOLD ME THAT YOU WILL TEACH ME A LOT ABOUT MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING WHILE SHOWING ME AN ARRAY OF MAGIC TRICKS THAT WILL GET ME TO SMILE AND LAUGH.

YOU SHOULD BE HOLDING ME BY DECEMBER 31ST DADDY, SO I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU AND MOMMY.

LOVE,

BABY REID

Spencer looked at his wife as happy tears streamed down his face, "Really?" asked Spencer.

"I'm eight-weeks pregnant and you are going to be a great dad," smiled Clarissa as she kissed her husband.

As soon as Spencer broke out of their kiss, he quickly thought about his future with the FBI, "What about me starting at the academy next week?" asked Spencer.

"I don't want you to stop following your dreams because of me being pregnant. You are only going to be missing five months of this pregnancy," said Clarissa.

"I won't quit my dream, but I'm sad that I will be missing out five months of this pregnancy since I am required to stay on base," said Spencer.

"I will be OK since I'll be staying with Aaron and Haley the entire time, and Haley is already planning on attending every doctor appointment with me. I will send you letters with ultrasound photos," said Clarissa.

"OK," said Spencer.

"And when you graduate from the academy and receive your posting, we will buy a house with a fenced-in backyard together since we have the money," said Clarissa she thought about the trust funds they have since they were both orphans causing them to have over a million dollars in the bank.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were celebrating the next step of their lives while knowing that it was going to be over 20 weeks before they made love again.

Xxx

A week later Spencer was entering the dorms while knowing that Clarissa will be taken care of by Hotch and Haley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter will take place 22 weeks later when Spencer starts his first day at the BAU.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place 20 weeks after the last chapter meaning that Spencer graduated from the academy on October 11th of 2003 in the beginning of this chapter and Gideon decided to have Spencer take over a week to find a house and get him and Clarissa moved into it despite all the decorating that needs to be done.
> 
> The house that Spencer and Clarissa are able to afford they ended up buying without getting a loan since Spencer's aunt and uncle started a trust fund for Spencer after his parents death and after Ethel and Gordon died the trust fund increased since Gordon's lawyer recommended that he should put the money from selling the house into that trust fund since he was only 19.
> 
> Morgan will be a bit more welcoming to Spencer than the OC who will eventually die in the Boston Bombings in this story.
> 
> Spencer didn't need any waivers for the physical portion training part of the academy since he worked out regularly with Clarissa when they were dating and got married.

Spencer set his suitcases on the Hotchner living room floor, and a minute later he was being hugged and kissed by his nearly 29-week pregnant wife.

"Our daughter and I both missed you over the past 20 weeks," said Clarissa.

Spencer rested his hands on Clarissa's swollen belly and smiled when he felt his daughter kick for the first time before kicking a few more times, "I missed the both of you, and like I told you in my letters, I'm happy that we're having a little girl," smiled Spencer as he felt another kick.

"She's already a daddy's girl," said Clarissa before looking at her husband's twinkling eyes, "Since I couldn't approach you at your graduation since you were hounded by news reporters and Aaron didn't want everyone at the graduation to know that I'm your wife, what's your posting since Aaron has been tight-lipped?"

"I'm assigned to your brother's team so that means that you get to continue working at Children's National while I work at Quantico," said Spencer.

Clarissa kissed her husband, "That's great, but how long do we have until your first day in the BAU?" asked Clarissa.

"I start on the 20th since we need to find a place of our own to live," said Spencer as he felt his daughter kick again.

At that moment Clarissa headed towards her laptop, and a minute later she was showing her husband a picture of one of the houses she decided to look at, "When I went on daily walks, I found a nice five-bedroom Victorian house that's still on the market," said Clarissa as she started telling her husband about the house and how one of the rooms can easily become a library, "And with our trust funds we should be able to get the house if an offer hasn't been made yet."

Spencer noticed that the house was only two blocks away from their current location, "You toured the house yet?" asked Spencer.

"I have since I had faith that you would get into the B.A.U. since you were being groomed for that unit," said Clarissa.

"Based on what you told me about the house, can you see if we can tour it?" asked Spencer.

"Let me call the realtor," said Clarissa as she whipped out her cellphone and called the relator, and a few minutes later she was smiling at her husband, "She's willing to see us in a half-hour."

Xxxx

A half-hour later Spencer and Clarissa were entering the house with the realtor, and a half-hour after the tour Spencer and Clarissa were giving the realtor an offer before being told that they got the house and they would need to wait two days before moving in so an inspector could look at it.

Xxxx

Two Mondays later Spencer groaned when the alarm clock went off, and after turning off the alarm and slipping on his glasses he turned so he could smile at his 30-week pregnant wife.

"Ready for your first day at the BAU as a probationary agent?" asked Clarissa as she thought about how her brother, sister-in-law, and Gideon joined them for dinner and her brother and Gideon ended up talking to her husband about his probationary period when they were helping with unpacking.

"I am, but at least we have most of our belongings unpacked and Diana's nursery done," said Spencer.

"Speaking of decorating, are you going to put any pictures of us on your desk?" asked Clarissa as she got ready for the day.

"I'm only putting pictures from my childhood on my desk. It was decided by the Director, Strauss, Hotch, Gideon, and I that we don't mention our status as brothers in law inside the office since there will be agents who will think that I got into the BAU for nepotism if anyone finds out that I'm married to Gideon's second in command's baby sister," said Spencer as he handed Clarissa his tie.

"Makes sense since you're now the youngest FBI agent ever," said Clarissa as she helped her husband put his tie on before noticing Spencer's wedding band being kept on a chain around his neck.

A minute later Clarissa was straightening the lapels of her husband's suit jacket, and before they knew it they were downstairs making breakfast together before Gideon arrived to pick him up for his first day at the BAU.

Xxxx

Over an hour later Spencer stepped into the bullpen of the BAU with Gideon and followed Gideon towards two agents who were already working at their desks.

"Derek Morgan and Trevor Johnson. I would like to introduce you two to our newest team member, SSA Dr. Spencer Reid," said Gideon as he told the two older agents Spencer's IQ, what type of memory he had, his timed reading speed, and his degrees.

"How old are you?" asked Morgan.

"I'm 22," said Spencer quietly before noticing the shocked looks on Morgan's and Trevor's faces.

Gideon looked at his protégé that he and Hotch were in charge of, "We need to go over some paperwork in my office, and your training officer Agent Hotchner will be joining us."

A minute later Spencer and Gideon were in Gideon's office, and Trevor looked at Morgan just as Hotch walked into the office and closed the blinds.

"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Trevor, causing Morgan to nod in agreement while thinking about what type of past that Spencer had that would lead him to join the FBI and become a profiler.

Xxxx

Meanwhile, in Gideon's office Spencer, Gideon, and Hotch were sitting in Gideon's office with the blinds closed, and Hotch looked at Spencer.

"How's Clarissa this morning?" asked Hotch.

"She's doing OK for being in the third trimester, and Diana has been kicking away," said Spencer.

Gideon looked at Hotch and Spencer, "You two do know that you promised to keep your relationship as brothers in law outside the office," said Gideon

"We know," said Hotch before noticing the lack of wedding band on Spencer's left ring finger, "Still wearing your wedding band on that chain around your neck?"

Spencer reached for the chain around his neck to show the gold wedding band before slipping it back underneath his shirt, "Strauss said that she would keep my marital status information in her office while keeping it off the digital database," said Spencer as he signed the required paperwork that he had to fill out.

"And hopefully the three of us can keep your marital status a secret for a couple of years unless something serious happens to you," said Gideon before he decided to show Spencer his desk so he could set up and get started on consults.

Xxxx

An hour after watching Spencer work on his consults, Morgan looked at Spencer who was working with his head down, making him decide to get to know his new teammate a little bit, "So where are you from?" asked Morgan.

Spencer briefly looked up, causing Morgan to wonder if Spencer even has contact lenses based on how big his glasses were before Spencer looked down again, "I lived in three different states before joining the FBI."

"Which states have you grown up in?" asked Morgan before he decided to go first, "I'm from Chicago, Illinois."

"Las Vegas, Nevada for the first 12 years of my life, then after graduating high school at 12 I moved to New Haven, Connecticut to attend Yale for seven years, and the summer after earning my second Ph.D. I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend MIT for two years," said Spencer.

"What about family?" asked Morgan.

Spencer sighed sadly, causing Morgan to look at his new teammate, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, since my profiling skills tell me that you dealt with a tragedy growing up."

"You're spot on about the tragedy part since I became an orphan when I was four-years-old," said Spencer.

"What happened?" asked Morgan.

"My parents and my dad's younger brother were killed by a drunk driver, and I avoided foster care since my maternal uncle and his wife adopted me," said Spencer as he took a deep breath before adding, "And when I was 19 my aunt and uncle were killed by a drunk driver."

"I'm sorry," said Morgan as he thought about how well adjusted Spencer was despite all the tragedy he faced, making him realize that his academic adviser most likely sent him to therapy, "What were your parents, aunt, and uncle's professions until their deaths?" asked Morgan.

"My mom was a 15th-century literature professor, my dad was a lawyer, my aunt was a caterer, and my uncle was a police officer," said Spencer.

"My dad was a police officer who died in the line of duty," said Morgan as he realized that he had something in common with his new coworker, "How did your aunt and uncle die?" asked Morgan as he thought about how his dad died right in front of him.

"My aunt and uncle went to New York City to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, and when they were driving back from New York City a drunk driver hit them leaving no survivors. Apparently, the drunk driver was getting revenge on my uncle since my uncle shot and killed his brother," said Spencer.

"Damn," whistled Morgan.

"But my uncle was the one to teach me how to shoot a gun since he was one of the best sharpshooters in Nevada and Connecticut," said Spencer.

"So your uncle was hoping that you eventually join the FBI?" asked Morgan.

"He recommended that I attend Gideon's lecture at Yale after I was approached by the CIA for the third time, and my uncle actually worked with Gideon a few times," said Spencer.

Morgan decided to change the subject since he heard a bit of sadness in his new coworker's voice, "What about grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, or cousins?" asked Morgan.

"As far as I know it, everyone on my dad's side of the family is dead while I have an adopted cousin who lives in Georgia," said Spencer as he decided to avoid mentioning his aunt Elena before smiling slightly, "I'm in regular contact with my godparents since they reside in DC."

Morgan decided not to ask about girlfriends, fiancees, or wives since he thought that being 22 and joining the FBI right out of college probably meant that he didn't have a girlfriend that would support his move to Quantico, "Since you're close to your godparents, are you spending the upcoming holidays with them?" asked Morgan.

"I am spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with a few friends from college who ended up moving to DC," said Spencer.

"That's nice. So what are you planning on doing this weekend in DC if we don't have a case?" asked Morgan.

"Finish unpacking since I'm almost done unpacking everything in the house that I bought," said Spencer.

"You bought a house instead of renting an apartment?" asked Morgan.

"After my parents' death my aunt and uncle started a trust fund for me that I was able to access after turning 21, and with all the books I currently own I knew that a house would be a good idea," said Spencer as he continued to work on his consults while avoiding eye contact.

"So other than reading, what do you like to do for fun?" asked Morgan.

"After my parents' death my aunt and uncle signed me up for music lessons to help distract me and I ended up mastering the piano, violin, and cello like my mom," said Spencer.

"So you only like classical music?" asked Morgan.

"Pretty much," said Spencer.

Morgan made a mental note to teach Spencer about Nas, "What about sports?" asked Morgan as he decided to go first,

"I played football at Northwestern."

"I enjoy horseback riding, and I actually ended up competing and won a few medals and trophies," said Spencer.

"So are you going to continue horseback riding on your days off?" asked Morgan.

"I'm already planning on it since I can't let my southwestern roots go, despite spending the past 10 years on the East coast," said Spencer as he avoided eye contact.

At that moment Trevor, who was listening in while not contributing decided to speak up about something he noticed, "Are you on the autism spectrum?" asked Trevor.

Spencer stiffened as he looked at Trevor, "I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome when I was 12 years old, and both Hotch and Gideon already know since they've read my school records and I rarely have any meltdowns," said Spencer as he noticed Hotch and Gideon staring at them from their offices causing, him to focus on his work, "We should all get to work since Hotch and Gideon are watching us."

Xxxx

A few hours later Spencer was buried in his consults when he felt an unfamiliar hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch, "Please don't touch me," said Spencer as he quickly got up from his desk chair and backed away.

"OK kid," said Morgan as he took a few steps back while Hotch and Gideon approached them.

"You OK, Reid?" asked Hotch as he gently placed a hand on Spencer's shoulder to help ease the tension.

Both Morgan and Trevor noticed that Spencer didn't even flinch when Hotch rested a hand on Spencer's shoulder, realizing that with their new teammate working with Hotch in the academy, he was comfortable with him.

"Yeah," said Spencer before looking at Morgan as Hotch removed his hand from Spencer's shoulder, "Why were you trying to get my attention?"

At that moment both Morgan and Trevor noticed a bit of fear in Spencer's eyes, "I was going to tell you that it's lunchtime," said Morgan.

At that moment Gideon looked at Spencer, "Your godmother is on her way up to join us for lunch since she had a lecture at the academy, " said Gideon just as Alex came into the bullpen.

Alex made her way over and placed a hand on Spencer's arm, "You ready to join Hotch, Gideon, and I for lunch, Spencer?" asked Alex.

"Yeah," said Spencer as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before looking at Morgan and Trevor, "Agents Morgan and Johnson, I would like you to meet SSA Dr. Alex Blake who works at the Hoover Building when not teaching forensic linguistics at Georgetown University."

"Speaking of linguistics, Spencer, maybe you can eventually guest lecture for me after working on a few cases that will allow you to use your linguistic skills," said Alex.

"I guess," said Spencer as he slung his messenger bag around his shoulders.

A minute later Morgan and Trevor were watching the elevator doors close on Spencer, Hotch, Gideon, and Alex, causing Trevor to look at Morgan, "I wonder if he got into the BAU because of his godmother putting in a good word. I heard that Agent Blake was a profiler here until she got demoted," said Trevor.

"If you read the newspapers and saw the news, you would already know that he got into the BAU due to the tests he was given. Plus a few months back I remember seeing him running on the nearby trails with Hotch, and boy he was fast," said Morgan.

"I still think he got in because of Agent Blake and knowing Gideon for a couple of years," said Trevor.

"He seems very comfortable with Hotch, and I guess it helps that Hotch has two siblings around Reid's age so Hotch would know how to communicate with him. And I recall that Hotch's sister attended Yale at the same time as Reid," said Morgan.

"You mean Clarissa Hotchner?" asked Trevor as he thought back to Clarissa coming to visit her brother over five months ago and his attempt to flirt with her.

"Hotch mentioned Clarissa's married and expecting her first child, so she's deeply off-limits," said Morgan.

"Whoever snagged Clarissa is a lucky man," said Trevor.

Xxxxx

20 minutes later Spencer was sitting in a diner with Hotch, Gideon, and Alex.

Alex looked at her godson, "How's your first day going so far?" asked Alex.

"I guess it's going OK. Morgan was asking me a few questions about where I grew up, hobbies that I have, and if I found a place to live yet," said Spencer.

"Morgan restores houses and rents them out as a second source of income. If you haven't found a house, he probably would have offered to help you find a place to live," said Gideon.

Spencer nodded.

"I noticed that you seemed a bit tense around Morgan and Johnson," said Hotch.

"They remind me of past high school tormentors," said Spencer.

"You know that my office is open for you if you want to work on your consults in there," said Hotch.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few minutes later their meals arrived, and while they were eating Hotch and Gideon decided to quiz Spencer on his profiling skills before Spencer, Hotch, and Gideon had to return to the office.

Xxxxx

Later at 5 PM, Spencer was signing his last consult when he saw his brother-in-law coming towards him.

"Since you don't live that far from me, would you like a ride home?" asked Hotch as he thought about Clarissa and Haley currently cooking dinner together.

Spencer thought about the act he had to put on for his teammates, "I guess," shrugged Spencer as he packed up his belongings before looking at Morgan and Trevor, "See you two tomorrow," said Spencer quietly as he pulled on his suit jacket before slipping his messenger bag over his shoulder.

A few minutes later Spencer was in Hotch's car, and as soon as they were on the highway that would lead them to DC, Spencer looked at his brother in law, "No one decided to ask me if I had a girlfriend, fiancée, or a wife due to my age and because of moving down here five months ago," said Spencer.

"Are you offended by that?" asked Hotch.

"Not really since I know that being married for nearly 11 months and becoming a father at 22-years-old is a bit young, but I'm glad that I have someone to go home to," said Spencer.

Xxx

An hour later Spencer and Clarissa were eating dinner with his brother in law and Haley before he and Clarissa walked the two blocks to their house.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spencer and Morgan are getting along since they both have something in common which is having their father/adoptive father both be police officers who are dead even though Morgan's father died in the line of duty and Spencer's uncle dying off duty.
> 
> This chapter takes place the day after the last chapter.

Clarissa was sitting at the kitchen island watching her husband cook breakfast when she heard a slight crash, causing her to see Merton who was playing with one of his springs, "Are you excited about eventually having a little human who will love to play with you like daddy and I do?" asked Clarissa as she groaned when she felt Diana kick.

Merton meowed at his mommy as his daddy placed a plate that contained scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, and blueberry pancakes in front of Clarissa.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "Thank you, Spence," said Clarissa.

"You're welcome, Clarissa.," said Spencer as he rubbed Clarissa's 30-week pregnant belly before sitting down across from his wife.

After Clarissa said a quick prayer out loud, she and her husband started to eat their breakfast.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer was sitting down at his desk when Morgan sat down at his own desk, "Morning, Reid," said Morgan as he set a to-go cup of coffee in front of Spencer.

"Morning," said Spencer as he eyed the cup, "Is that for me?"

"It is, and I just got it from the nearest coffee shop so it's still warm," said Morgan.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he reached for it and took a sip before grimacing at the amount of creamer that was added into the coffee causing him to set it aside and grab his antacids from his messenger bag and quickly took the dosage he needed.

"I take it that you and dairy don't get along well?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded as his ear length curls bounced a bit, "I'm lactose intolerant, and even though I love dairy I can't stay away from it so I always have antacids with me," said Spencer.

"Do Hotch and Gideon know about your lactose intolerance?" asked Morgan.

"They know," said Spencer.

"Any other medical conditions like allergies that I should know about?" asked Morgan.

"I'm deathly allergic to beta-lactams and latex. I wear a medical alert bracelet to tell doctors and nurses not to prescribe me antibiotics like penicillin, amoxicillin, or Carbenicillin," said Spencer as he showed Morgan his medical alert bracelet.

"May I ask you one more question?" asked Morgan.

"You just did," said Spencer with a smirk on his face, causing Morgan to laugh as he realized that Spencer does have a fun side.

"Do you even wear contact lenses?" asked Morgan.

"I do, but I prefer my glasses over contact lenses since my contacts always bother me during spring and fall allergy season," said Spencer quietly.

"Why are you a bit nervous around me?" asked Morgan.

"You remind me of some of my tormentors from high school. It wasn't easy being in a class with students who were six years older than me. I was bullied practically every day until an incident happened that caused my uncle to arrest a bunch of my classmates and the principal to expel those classmates and allow an officer from my uncle's precinct to be with me at all times," said Spencer.

At that moment Morgan noticed the haunted look in Spencer's eyes causing him to wonder what happened to Spencer while hoping that he wasn't raped by a classmate like he was by Carl Buford before he decided to change the subject.

"What was it like starting college before turning 13?" asked Morgan

"Extreme security measures were arranged for me so I always had a chaperone with me until I turned 18. I lived off-campus with my aunt and uncle until the Spring semester after my 18th birthday when I was given my own dorm," said Spencer.

"So how did you interact with other kids your age while skipping grades and starting college before turning 13?" asked Morgan

"Every Sunday my aunt, uncle, and I would attend Sunday Mass meaning that I interacted with other kids from catechism classes. Plus my uncle worked with officers who had sons my age, so there were a lot of father and son camping trips and paintball matches when it wasn't rattlesnake season in Vegas," said Spencer before he decided to return to his consults just as Trevor sat down at his desk.

Dxxx

Meanwhile, in Gideon's office, Gideon looked at Hotch.

"At least Morgan and Reid are getting along well," said Gideon.

"They both learned that they have something in common," said Hotch.

"I just hope that Johnson warms up to Reid soon," said Gideon as his phone rang and when he noticed the area number he knew that they were being called in for a case.

Xxxxx

An hour later Spencer sat down at the round table with his teammates, and during briefing, Spencer was able to contribute facts and statistics about his hometown while ignoring the looks that Morgan and Trevor were giving him.

Xxxx

After briefing, he headed to the men's room where he called Clarissa and left her a voice mail since he knew that Clarissa was working and she would listen to his voice mail later.

Xxxx

Five hours later Hotch looked at Detective Hyde as he shook hands with him, "I'm agent Hotchner, and this is our newest agent, Dr. Spencer Reid," said Hotch as he missed the slight smile on Spencer's face.

Detective Hyde smiled at Spencer, "I saw you on the news last week Spencer and congratulations on getting into the BAU. I know that your uncle would be proud of you if he was alive," said Detective Hyde as he patted Spencer on the shoulder.

Spencer looked at Hotch, who looked confused, "Detective Hyde worked with my uncle Gordon before aunt Ethel, uncle Gordon, and I moved to New Haven so I could attend Yale, and since moving east Detective Hyde has kept contact since I used to play with his son Jeff, who's my age," said Spencer.

"Jeffery and I would have come to your wedding, but you know that we couldn't make it due to Jeffery being in a car accident," said Detective Hyde.

"What is he doing now since he should be finished with college?" asked Spencer.

"He's currently at the police academy since he decided to follow my footsteps," said Detective Hyde.

Spencer looked at the detective and whispered, "Just so you know, my marriage can't be brought up since I'm on the same team as Clarissa's oldest brother," whispered Spencer.

Detective Hyde thought back to when he met Clarissa in April, and he realized that Agent Hotchner is Clarissa's older brother since Hotch has the same hair color as Clarissa, "Your secret is safe with me, and I will let other officers know not to say anything," whispered Detective Hyde before he decided to get serious, "Clara's husband is here. He's completely deaf and our translator is out sick and no officers are fluent," said Detective Hyde before looking at Spencer, "I know that you are fluent in sign language since Ethel was deaf."

Two minutes later Spencer and Hotch were sitting across from Justin Roberts, and as Hotch asked questions, Spencer, easily translated for both Justin and Hotch while not knowing that 20 minutes into the interview Morgan and Trevor came back from the morgue and watched Spencer easily translate for both Hotch and Justin.

"He's just showing off the skills we don't have," muttered Trevor as he watched Spencer translate what Hotch was asking

Justin before hearing Spencer translate Justin's answer for Hotch.

"I actually have to say that I'm slightly impressed since not many FBI agents or police officers would take it upon themselves to take the time," said Morgan.

Xxxx

An hour later Spencer was working on his first geographical profile, knowing that he would be doing many of during his career in the BAU.

Dxxxx

Later that evening Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, Gideon, and Trevor were standing in the lobby at the hotel and the receptionist looked at the five men, "There are only three hotel rooms left," said the receptionist.

Gideon looked at his team, "We will have to double up," said Gideon as he decided to pair Spencer with Hotch and put Morgan and Trevor together while he had a room to himself.

A few minutes later Spencer and Hotch were entering their hotel room, and Hotch allowed Spencer to have the bed closest to the bathroom.

Xxxx

After making a quick phone call to Clarissa, Spencer was going through his go bag and shook his head when he noticed that Clarissa decided to add his swim trunks and a few extra t-shirts, causing him to look at Hotch, "Do you think it would be a problem if I decide to head to the pool and swim some laps to help tire me out so I can sleep?" asked Spencer.

Hotch thought back to the times that Spencer stayed in his guest bedroom since Spencer's and Clarissa's first Christmas together there were times that Spencer wouldn't be sleeping while Haley and Clarissa slept, "When it's downtime there's no problem about using any fitness facilities in hotels, but it will be helpful to get some sleep since there are times that we're awakened during the night due to another victim."

"OK," said Spencer before looking at his brother in law, "I think I will go swim some laps, and I will have my cellphone nearby," said Spencer as he removed the chain that contained his wedding band from around his neck and slipped it into his go-bag.

"I was planning on going down to the pool too," said Hotch.

Xxxx

15 minutes later Spencer and Hotch were both in the room that held the indoor pool when they saw Morgan getting ready for a swim.

"You two decided to swim laps before going to bed too?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah," said Spencer as he slipped his flip flops off his feet before self consciously removing his t-shirt and draping it by his towel.

Morgan saw the scar from his open appendectomy, "What's with that scar on your abdomen?" asked Morgan as he realized that for how skinny Spencer was for his height, he had a healthy amount of lean muscles.

Spencer's face heated up slightly as he decided to put his t-shirt back on, "I had appendicitis during the summer I stayed at my godparents between earning my second Ph.D. and moving to Cambridge to attend MIT," said Spencer as he looked around the pool area to memorize his surroundings before removing his glasses and putting them onto the table before using echolocation to find the stairs that led to the shallow end of the pool.

As soon as Spencer got into the water Morgan looked at Spencer, "You must have really bad vision to require you to snap your fingers to help guide you to your destination."

"I used echolocation to help me get around, and a lot of blind people use it when not using a cane or guide dog," said Spencer right before he decided to start swimming laps.

Xxxx

The next morning Spencer was visiting a crime scene for the very first time with Hotch, Gideon, and Detective Hyde, and as soon as he reached the dead body of Clara he felt his breakfast coming back up, causing him to sprint away from the crime scene. Before he knew it, he was vomiting up his breakfast before he felt a hand rubbing his back as he dry heaved. A few minutes later he was accepting a bottle of water and a mint from Hotch who stayed with him as he collected himself.

Hotch looked at Spencer as he drank his bottle of water, "Do you think you can head back to the crime scene and finish observing the scene to look for clues about our unsub?" asked Hotch.

"I know that it's different than what I studied in the academy, but I know that I can do it since I'm going to have to deal with stinky diapers in 10 weeks," said Spencer softly as he popped a mint into his mouth.

"Then let's go, and eventually you will be able to handle crime scenes even though your eidetic memory won't let you forget any crime scene you see," said Hotch as he gently squeezed Spencer's arm.

A few minutes later Spencer and Hotch made their way back to the crime scene, and Detective Hyde looked at Spencer who was now looking away from the body.

"Eventually you will be able to handle crime scenes without getting sick, son," said Detective Hyde.

"I know, but it's human to react the way I did," said Spencer as he looked at the body again and was able to find a few clues that helped his teammates develop their profile.

Xxxx

A few hours later Spencer watched his four teammates give the profile, knowing that he would eventually be included.

Xxxx

The next day the unsub was arrested, and when they were packing up, Spencer pulled Gideon aside, "Mind if we stay an extra two hours so I can visit my parents' graves and check in on aunt Elena?" asked Spencer quietly.

"I was going to suggest that you do that since it might be a while before you're in your hometown again," said Gideon as he passed Spencer the keys to one SUV.

Hotch looked at Spencer and noticed that he looked slightly better than the day before when it came to visiting his first crime scene, "I will get your go-bag from the hotel."

"Thanks," said Spencer as he slung his messenger bag over his shoulders before leaving the station and Morgan looked at Hotch and Gideon.

"Where is Reid going?" asked Morgan.

"It's none of your business," said Gideon before looking at Morgan and Trevor, "We have two hours of free time before we need to head back to Quantico, and please don't follow Reid."

Xxxx 

20 minutes later Spencer was approaching Dr. Jesson who smiled at him.

"Your aunt mentioned that you made it into the BAU," said Dr. Jesson as she noticed that Spencer looked a bit pale and realized that Spencer most likely dealt with his first crime scene.

"I was surprised that my first case would happen in my hometown, but I just wanted to check in on aunt Elena before heading to the airport since I'm flying back to Quantico in an hour and forty minutes," said Spencer.

"You look much paler than the last time I saw you," said Dr. Jesson.

"I was subjected to my first real crime scene to see if I can handle it. Luckily I collected myself and returned to the scene. Eventually, I should be able to handle visiting a crime scene," said Spencer.

"It's good that you were able to go back, and having a reaction is human," said Dr. Jesson.

"I know, but where's aunt Elena?" asked Spencer.

"She's in the day room right now, and you can only visit for 20 minutes since it's almost time for her medication," said Dr. Jesson.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he walked away, and a few minutes he approached his adoptive aunt, "Hi aunt Elena."

"This is a surprise, Spencer," said Elena as she hugged Spencer.

"My first case brought me here, and I thought that instead of writing today's letter I would come visit you since you're having a good day," said Spencer.

"And I'm glad that your superior gave you permission to visit me," said Elena before looking at Spencer, "How much longer until my great-niece is born?" asked Elena as she thought about the letters she received.

"Only 10 more weeks," said Spencer.

"Nervous?" asked Elena.

"I am," said Spencer.

"With how Ethel and Gordon did on raising you, you are going to be a great father," said Elena before they briefly chatted about literature before Spencer had to leave.

Xxx

A half-hour later Spencer placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the two headstones he was standing in front of, "Hi mom. Hi dad. I completed basic training at the academy, and I got into the BAU. I just worked my first case. If you two were alive today you two would be excited about getting to hold your first grandchild in ten weeks, and Clarissa and I are having a little girl that we're naming Diana Ethel Reid," said Spencer before he started to tell his parents about how training went at the academy before he had to head to the airport.

Xxxx

As they settled for their flight home, Morgan looked at Spencer, "Would you mind telling me why you would learn sign language?" asked Morgan.

"Morgan," scolded Gideon.

Spencer looked at his unit chief, "It's OK," said Spencer before looking at Morgan, "Aunt Ethel was born deaf, and despite being able to hear with the help of hearing aids she would go without her hearing aids at home, causing uncle

Gordon and me to communicate with her through sign language."

"Was she able to talk?" asked Morgan.

"She was, and after my parents died social services were nervous about placing me with my aunt and uncle because aunt Ethel was deaf and uncle Gordon was a police officer. When the social worker saw me using sign language to communicate with aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon keeping his gun locked up in a safe they decided to let me stay with them since uncle Gordon was the only surviving blood relative to their knowledge," said Spencer.

At that moment Morgan decided to give Spencer a distraction so he got up and found a deck of cards and a container of poker chips, "Despite living in Las Vegas for your first 12 years, do you know how to play Poker?" asked Morgan.

Spencer grinned, "I do."

A few minutes later, Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, and Trevor were sitting at the four-seater table and after Spencer won his fourth hand in a row Morgan looked at him, "It's a good thing that we don't play for money because you would have cleaned out my wallet with your poker skills."

Xxxx

Later that night Spencer entered his and Clarissa's house to see Clarissa lying awake on the couch while Merton was laying on his armchair.

"Welcome home," said Clarissa as she struggled to sit upright, causing Spencer to quickly make his way to assist his wife.

"I missed you," said Spencer as he kissed his wife.

"How's Elena?" asked Clarissa.

"She's doing fine, and I did get the chance to visit my parents' graves," said Spencer as he yawned.

"How about you quickly sort through your go bag and take a shower before we head up to bed," said Clarissa.

"Yes ma'am," teased Spencer.

Xxx

45 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were fast asleep in their bed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you readers believe it that I'm glad that I picked out the name Clarissa for Hotch's little sister since the founder of the American Red Cross was Clarissa "Clara" Barton especially since I decided to have Clarissa become a pediatric nurse?
> 
> This chapter takes place on December 19th when Clarissa's 12 days away from her due date meaning that Spencer's and Clarissa's one year wedding anniversary has already passed, and Spencer will be a bit OOC in this chapter since he will be swearing and you guys will find out why so be prepared for extreme cuteness.

Spencer was packing up to head home for his holiday break when Morgan looked at him, "So what are you planning on doing during our time off until January 5th of next year?" asked Morgan as he thought about how Spencer politely declined his invitation of going to Chicago, stating that he already had plans.

"If your worried that I'm going to be alone during holiday break since my godparents are going to Kansas City, I'm not going to be alone since Hotch and his wife have invited me to join in on their festivities," said Spencer as he thought about how his daughter could be born any day now.

"That's nice of Hotch and Haley," said Morgan.

At that moment, Hotch who was coming towards them, spoke up, "Haley practically adopted Reid since she thinks that he needs constant mothering," joked Hotch before looking at Spencer, "Need a ride home so you don't have to take the train?"

"Yes please," said Spencer as he pulled on his green and brown corduroy jacket and slung his messenger bag around his shoulder before looking at Morgan, "I hope you have a Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year."

"You too, kid," said Morgan as he packed up so he could catch his flight in two hours.

Spencer walked out of the bullpen with his brother-in-law.

Xxxx

As soon as Hotch was on the highway he looked at Spencer, "You do know that Haley's hoping for you to play Christmas carols on either your violin, piano, or cello since we're celebrating Christmas at your house to make things easier for Clarissa."

"I know, and I've already been recruited by Clarissa to play Christmas carols on the piano at the holiday party at Children's National tomorrow," said Spencer.

"Speaking of hospitals, are you nervous about Diana's upcoming birth?" asked Hotch.

"Clarissa and I both talked about being scared and nervous since we're both 22-year-olds working our dream jobs, but we know that we will get through everything together," said Spencer.

"Even though I'm not a parent yet, when I was 12 my mom put Clarissa in my arms for the first time I instantly loved my baby sister," said Hotch.

Xxx

40 minutes later Spencer and Hotch entered Spencer's and Clarissa's house and as soon as they removed their coats, shoes, and placed their guns in the safe by the door they smelled food, causing them to head to the kitchen where they saw Haley putting a pan of lasagna into the oven while Clarissa was decorating freshly baked cut out sugar cookies causing Spencer to reach for a cookie off a plate just as Clarissa slapped his hand with a wooden spoon.

"They're for the children tomorrow when we help out at the Christmas party," said Clarissa.

At that moment a pouting Spencer looked at Clarissa and worked his eyes on her, causing both Hotch and Haley to laugh at his antics.

"Go ahead and take one, but please don't teach Diana how to use her eyes and pout so she can get whatever she wants," said Clarissa as she passed Spencer a cookie before feeling a powerful kick and grumbled, "I just can't wait for Diana to be born since she's constantly kicking me these past few weeks."

"It's the third trimester, so there's an average of 30 fetal movements per hour. Babies kick to explore movement and strengthen muscle," said Spencer as he rested his hand on Clarissa's swollen belly and felt his daughter kick, "The first time I felt Diana kick I was a bit freaked out since I missed five months of this pregnancy, but now I love feeling my daughter kick." said Spencer before he headed to the stove and checked the teapot.

"The tea was finished a minute before you two men walked in," said Clarissa as she took a sip of her own tea.

Spencer grabbed a mug and poured some tea into it before adding some sugar and took a sip.

"It's strange seeing you drink tea outside of work, Spencer," said Hotch.

"It's my wife of one year and 19 days idea to have me cut back on coffee outside of work," grumbled Spencer.

"My husband's practically an insomniac so I only let him drink coffee at breakfast when he's home so I can make sure that he gets some sleep at night," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

The next day Spencer and Clarissa entered the day room at Children's National when the head nurse came towards them.

"You look like you're going to give birth any day now, Clarissa," said the head nurse Bonnie Fitzgerald.

Clarissa gave a tired smile, "Only 11 more days," said Clarissa as Spencer helped her remove her jacket before helping her sit down.

"You don't have to stay for the entire party, Clarissa," said Nurse Bonnie.

"I know, but despite being on maternity leave I wanted to be here for the kids," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

10 minutes later the holiday party was in full swing, and before Spencer knew it he was sitting by the piano playing songs like "Jingle Bells", "Rudolph the Reid Nose Reindeer", "Up on the Housetop", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" on the piano while singing along with staff members, kids, and their parents before he gave that promised magic show to the kids.

Xxxx

Later that night at 1 AM, Clarissa woke up to a burst of pain and feeling wet causing her to wake her husband, and as soon as Spencer had his glasses on Clarissa looked at him, "My water just broke so please call Aaron since he's wanting to drive us to the hospital," said Clarissa.

Spencer quickly got out of bed and quickly pulled on some corduroys and a button-down shirt before he called Hotch who answered on the second ring.

"Hotchner," answered a groggy Hotch.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, but your niece decided that she wants to be born before Christmas," said Spencer.

"Haley and I will be there to pick you two up in 10 minutes," said Hotch as he hung up and woke up his wife and Sean who was in the guest bedroom.

Spencer pocketed his phone before he helped Clarissa get out of bed and put on some clothes.

Xxxx

An hour later Spencer stood outside of Clarissa's hospital room with Hotch, Haley, and Sean when Clarissa's gynecologist, Dr. Tanner Larson exited the room and looked at Spencer who looked nervous and excited, "Your wife is currently five centimeters dilated, and she declined to have an epidural."

"Are we able to go in yet?" asked Spencer.

"Clarissa's been asking for you, and I will be checking on you guys in an hour," said Dr. Larson before walking away.

At that moment Spencer, Hotch, Haley, and Sean entered the room and as soon as Spencer got himself onto the nearby stool and started massaging Clarissa's lower back, Clarissa looked at Haley.

"Haley, would you like to join Spencer and me in the delivery room since you attended Lamaze classes with me until Spencer was able to?" asked Clarissa.

"I would love to, Clarissa," said Haley.

"What about me?" asked Hotch.

"I don't want to scare you yet for when you and Haley finally give Spencer and I some nieces and nephews to spoil," said Clarissa before another contraction hit causing her to squeeze Spencer's hand hard, making him groan in pain.

"Now that's my cue to leave sis, and the next time I see you I will be holding my niece," said Sean as he gave his sister a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room leaving Hotch, Haley, and Spencer with Clarissa.

"Want me to call Gideon and tell him what's going on?" asked Hotch.

"Yes, please," said Spencer as Clarissa felt another contraction hit, causing Spencer to wince as his hand was squeezed again.

Hotch left the room, leaving Spencer and Haley with Clarissa.

"Do you want any ice to suck on?" asked Spencer.

"Can I have apple juice?" asked Clarissa.

"You can't since you're not supposed to eat or drink anything except allow ice cubes to melt in your mouth just in case you end up having a C-section," said Spencer as he continued to rub Clarissa's lower back and belly while Haley decided to wipe the sweat that was falling off Clarissa's forehead.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "If I give you any threats from now until Diana is born, please don't believe that I will actually give into those threats."

"I know because it will be the pain making you talk like that," said Spencer as he kissed his wife's forehead, "I love you Clarissa, and I can't wait to hold our little girl."

"I love you too," said Clarissa as she moved a strand of hair out of her face.

"Would you like me to braid your hair so it stays out of your face?" asked Haley.

"Yes please," said Clarissa before looking at her husband, "Would you like to braid my hair instead of Haley since I've been teaching you how?"

At that moment a blushing Spencer looked at Haley, "How about you do Clarissa's hair, Haley," said Spencer as he got up to grab the bag containing everything they needed for the next couple of days and passed a hairbrush and some hair ties to Haley.

"Why don't you go get some coffee," said Haley.

"OK," said Spencer as he left the room.

Xxxx

Five hours later Spencer was opening his mouth when Clarissa glared at him, "If you give me one more statistic about labor and childbirth, I will let Aaron shoot you."

At that moment a gulping Spencer turned bright red while Haley laughed right before another contraction passed causing a screaming Clarissa to squeeze Spencer's hand so hard that he had to let go.

"Son of a bitch, that hurts," muttered Spencer as he massaged his hand while Clarissa and Haley laughed just as Dr. Larson entered the room.

"Let's see how far you are, Clarissa," said Dr. Larson.

A minute later Dr. Larson looked at Spencer, Haley, and Clarissa, "It's time to head to the delivery room so Spencer and Haley, you two need to change into scrubs and scrub up," said Dr. Larson as a nurse motioned them to follow her.

Xxx

Five minutes later Spencer and Haley were both dressed in scrubs, and before they knew it they were helping Clarissa get positioned before Spencer got onto the bed and settled himself behind Clarissa while Haley took the stool so she could be in charge of wiping sweat.

Xxxx

After a half-hour of pushing Dr. Larson looked at Clarissa, "I see some curly brown hair so only a few more pushes until you and Spencer meet your daughter."

"You're almost there," said Haley as she wiped some sweat off of Clarissa's forehead.

"I love you Clarissa, and you can do this," said Spencer.

"Can I push?" asked Clarissa.

"Go ahead," said Dr. Larson.

Clarissa screamed as she pushed before leaning back against Spencer.

"Only two more pushes and then we will get to meet your daughter," said Dr. Larson as he looked at the monitor before looking at Clarissa, "In 10 seconds I need you to push very hard."

10 seconds later Clarissa was screaming as she pushed before leaning against her husband, and after one more push, there was a crying baby girl in the delivery room, causing everyone to cry happy tears.

"Congratulations mommy and daddy, it's a healthy baby girl," said Dr. Larson before looking at Spencer who had happy tears falling down his face, "Spencer, would you like to cut the cord?"

"Yes," said Spencer as he got off the bed, and 15 seconds later he was cutting the cord with shaky hands while Dr. Larson wiped up Diana a little bit before placing her on Clarissa's chest and a nurse picked up Diana so she could go get cleaned up.

Clarissa looked at her husband as she removed his glasses so she could wipe the tears off his face, "Go be with Diana since a nurse is going to help me clean up."

"OK," said Spencer as he went to follow the nurse while motioning Haley to follow him.

"I think I will tell Aaron and Sean that we can meet Diana later on today since Aaron, Sean, and I will get some sleep so you and Clarissa can bond with Diana," said Haley.

Dxxxx

A half-hour later Spencer was holding Diana for the first time in Clarissa's hospital room while Clarissa napped a little bit.

"Hello Diana I'm your daddy, and I can get you into Yale or MIT with just one phone call," said Spencer as he looked at his daughter who had a full head of brown curly hair just like him while having Clarissa's blue eyes, "You have my hair and your mommy's eyes, and I will definitely need to keep boys away from you when you become a teenager," said Spencer as he ran a gentle finger on Diana's cheek.

Diana reached out and grabbed her father's fingers as she let out a coo.

At that moment Clarissa opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of Diana holding her daddy's finger.

"She already has you wrapped around your finger," teased Clarissa.

"I know," said Spencer before Diana started whimpering, "I think someone's hungry," said Spencer as he gently passed his daughter to Clarissa who already had adjusted her hospital gown so she could try to breastfeed their daughter for the first time.

"As soon as she's full, you can burp her," said Clarissa as she smiled when Diana successfully latched on.

"Don't be surprised if Diana ends up inheriting my lactose intolerance since my uncle Gordon once told me that my mom was lactose intolerant," said Spencer.

"Well, for now, it's just a wait and see period," said Clarissa before she started singing some Christmas carols to Diana as she nursed her daughter before passing Diana to her daddy.

"I believe that we can consider Diana our early Christmas gift," said Spencer as he gently worked on burping his daughter.

"I agree, and I have to say we did a damn good job," said Clarissa as she watched her husband burp their daughter.

Xxxx

A few hours later Spencer was sitting in the armchair by Clarissa's hospital bed holding his daughter when there was a knock on the door and Haley stuck her head in.

"Is there room for three more?" asked Haley.

Clarissa gave her sister-in-law a tired smile, "Come in."

A minute later Hotch was the first one holding little Diana, and as soon as he looked at his first niece, he looked at the new parents who were both glowing with happiness, "Diana's a perfect mixture of you two."

"We know," said Spencer.

At that moment Haley gently took Diana from her husband, "She's beautiful." said Haley before passing the baby to Sean.

"She has our eyes, Clarissa," said Sean.

"I know, but I'm happy that Diana inherited Spencer's curly brown hair," said Clarissa.

At that moment Diana started whimpering, and as soon as Sean handed Diana to her daddy, she stopped.

"You two definitely have a daddy's girl," cooed Haley.

"I know," smiled Clarissa as she looked at her husband, who was staring at their daughter.

"Even though it's still December 21st, are you being released before Christmas Eve?" asked Haley.

"With Diana being born healthy and me having no complications during labor it's been planned that Diana and I will get to go home on the 23rd, just in time for her first Christmas," said Clarissa as she yawned.

"Get some sleep," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "You need some sleep too, Spence since I woke you up at 1 AM."

"Are you staying the night, Spencer?" asked Haley.

"I am," said Spencer just as a nurse came into the room and looked at the tired new parents.

"I will take Diana into the nursery so you two can get some sleep," said Nurse Emma before looking at Spencer who had some dark circles under his eyes, "You're welcome to join your wife in bed if you want," said Emma as she gently removed Diana from Spencer's arms and placed her in the bassinet before leaving the room with her.

"We will let you two get some rest," said Hotch as he kissed Clarissa on the cheek before patting Spencer on the shoulder while Haley and Sean said goodbye to Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were asleep in Clarissa's hospital bed.

Xxxx

Four days later Spencer and Clarissa were eating Christmas Day dinner with Hotch, Haley, and Sean at the Reid family house while four-day-old Diana slept peacefully in her bassinet between her parents.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While Spencer was in the academy, Clarissa had her yearly vision exam and she found out that she needed glasses.
> 
> There is a time jumps in this chapter since I'm including the flashbacks from Tabula Rasa. No copyright infringement intended.

Spencer looked at his two-week-old daughter as he changed Diana's diaper, "Daddy has to go back to work today so you get to spend the day with your mommy and auntie Haley since I work with your uncle Aaron."

Diana cooed at her daddy and worked on kicking her little legs as her daddy got her dressed in a warm onesie while she listened to the soothing sound of his voice.

"Hopefully I will come home tonight, but if I'm don't, mommy will play the recordings I made of me singing lullabies and reading stories so you can hear my voice," said Spencer.

Clarissa, who was wearing loungewear and had her long nearly black hair pulled into a messy bun, entered the nursery and looked at her husband, "Should we cook breakfast together before Aaron and Haley get here so you can carpool with Aaron while Haley stays here and help me take care of Diana and housework?" asked Clarissa as she pushed her new glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah," said Spencer as he gently scooped up his daughter.

A few minutes later Diana was laying in her baby seat while Spencer and Clarissa worked together on making scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes together before they sat down and ate breakfast.

Xxxx

30 minutes after eating breakfast, the doorbell rang and a minute later Spencer was letting Hotch and Haley into the house.

Haley made a beeline for little Diana and scooped her into her arms and cooed at her niece, "Who's the prettiest girl in the world?" asked Haley.

Diana cooed at her aunt Haley as her daddy and uncle Aaron approached them.

Hotch couldn't help but smile at his niece, "Even though she's Spencer's blue-eyed mini-me, she keeps getting more and more beautiful every day," said Hotch before looking at Clarissa, "Even though I saw you every day these past two weeks, how are you feeling?"

"I'm slowly getting my energy back, but it sucks that I can't have any coffee since I'm nursing," said Clarissa as she watched her husband gently run a finger over Diana's little cheek, "And when Diana's sleeping I'm sleeping too since a few other nurses who are parents told me that I should sleep when Diana does."

At that moment Spencer smiled softly at his wife, "At least I spent yesterday making home-cooked meals and put them in the fridge or freezer so you can either put them into the microwave or oven," said Spencer as he gave his wife a peck on the lips.

"Sometimes I swear that you're better in the kitchen than me," said Clarissa.

"The chemist in me is the reason why I excel at cooking," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at the clock before looking at Spencer, "We should probably get going and you can take a nap on the way to Quantico."

Spencer leaned down to give his baby girl a kiss on the forehead, "Daddy loves you so much baby girl. When I get home we will have some daddy/daughter time so mommy can take a break."

Diana cooed at her daddy before Spencer reluctantly walked away from his daughter so he could leave the house with Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was getting into the front passenger seat of Hotch's car, and Spencer looked at his brother in law, "I wish that I could bring Diana to the office and show her off, but I know that I can't since we're keeping my marriage a secret as long as possible."

"I understand because I want to show pictures of my niece at the office, but with Diana being your blue-eyed mini-me people will figure out that you're the man who married my sister since we're profilers," said Hotch.

"Just so you know, Strauss stopped by two days ago so I could fill out the paperwork that she needed on Diana since she's locking my parental status information up with the information she's keeping out of my personnel file," said Spencer.

"Did she meet Diana?" asked Hotch.

"She did, and she brought clothing that she saved from when her daughters were babies," said Spencer.

"That was nice of her," said Hotch.

Spencer let out a yawn, "I'm going to take that nap you suggested."

A few minutes later Spencer was sleeping in the front passenger seat.

Xxxx

45 minutes later Spencer walked into the bullpen with Hotch, and a few minutes later he was sitting down at his desk doing his consults right away.

When Spencer was already working on his third consult, he saw Morgan coming towards him, "Morning Morgan," said Spencer.

Morgan passed him the coffee he decided to pick up for him, "Just the way you like it," said Morgan as Trevor sat down at his own desk.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he took a sip and sighed in relief.

Morgan looked at Spencer and saw that there was something different about his 22-year-old coworker since he looked happier than ever, "So did you have a good Christmas and New Years?" asked Morgan.

"I did since I was able to get caught up on cleaning, laundry, cooking meals that I placed in the freezer so I can easily pop them into the oven or microwave during every meal, I caught up on some of my favorite TV shows, and finally I was able to catch up on some sleep." said Spencer.

"You do look a bit tired for someone who had a productive holiday break," said Morgan.

"I ended up staying up a bit later last night since I decided to finish an article that I'm hoping to publish for a police journal," said Spencer as he thought about the paper being the partial truth.

"Why are you going to be publishing papers when Gideon already publishes?" asked Trevor.

"With being famous in the academic community, I want to keep my name out so I work on papers when I'm home," said Spencer.

"Speaking of being home, have you ever gone out to bars to have drinks or tour around D.C.?" asked Morgan.

"When it comes to my godparents living in D.C., I've been to D.C. countless of times since I was a child. During the first summer after the deaths of my aunt and uncle I ended up staying with my godparents for the summer since I was moving to Cambridge that fall," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "That summer I ended up meeting Strauss since my godmother had me bring a book she needed for a consult, and the second time I had to drop something off Gideon gave me a tour."

"What about bars and clubs?" asked Morgan.

Spencer tucked a growing curl behind his ear, "When it comes to going to bars and clubs I don't go to any at all because my eidetic memory and my Asperger's syndrome cause me to deal with sensory overload so I prefer quiet places, and I refuse to drink any alcoholic beverages because my parents and eventually my aunt and uncle were all killed by drunk drivers."

"Then you have good reasons for why you don't go out drinking and partying, but what about going out and about and making friends your age outside of work?" asked Morgan.

"I go to church, I play chess against people at the park, I have weekly dinners with Hotch and Haley, and I ended up attending a few of my godmother's evening lectures," said Spencer as he decided to continue working on his paperwork to tell Morgan and Trevor that he was done talking.

Xxxx

Meanwhile, in Washington DC, Clarissa was trying to soothe her crying daughter, and Haley came forward with one of Spencer's shirts that she found in the hamper, "How about you hand me Diana, put this on and see if Spencer's scent will help" said Haley.

"OK," said Clarissa.

Two minutes later Diana fell asleep in her mother's arms.

"Definitely a daddy's girl," muttered Clarissa.

Haley smiled at the sight of her sister-in-law holding her daughter, "Motherhood definitely agrees with you, Clarissa."

"I know." smiled Clarissa as she looked down at her baby girl, "Aside from wishing that Diana will have her father's eyes, I'm glad that Spence's and my firstborn looks like her daddy."

Xxxx

A couple of hours later Spencer was about to sit down at his desk and eat his lunch when Gideon came over to him,

"Why don't you join me in my office for lunch and we can play some chess?" asked Gideon.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was playing chess against Gideon when Gideon looked at Spencer, "Even though we're not supposed to bring up your wife and newborn daughter in this building, how's Diana?" asked Gideon quietly.

Spencer smiled at the mention of his daughter, "She's doing great since she's a quiet baby unless she needs something. During the past two weeks, I ended up wishing that my parents, uncle Daniel, aunt Ethel, and uncle Gordon were still alive because I would imagine them all fighting over getting to hold their granddaughter or great-niece," said Spencer quietly as he moved a chess piece, "I was once told that everything happens for a reason, and I know that if I wasn't sitting on that bench at that moment I probably wouldn't have met my wife."

"That's true, and I just hope that you don't let this job get in the way of your relationship with Clarissa and your daughter because you already know that this job cost my relationship with my own family," said Gideon.

At that moment both men decided to continue their chess game as they ate their lunch.

Xxxx

At 6 PM that evening, Spencer and Hotch entered the Reid family home.

Spencer grinned when he heard some cooing from the bassinet, causing him to quickly make his way to his daughter and a few seconds later Spencer who had already removed his tie unbuttoned his shirt a bit and gently scooping up his daughter and cradled her against his chest, "Daddy missed you so much."

Diana cooed at her daddy just as Haley and Clarissa exited the kitchen.

"Dinner will be done in 15 minutes," said Haley.

Spencer sniffed the air and smiled at his daughter, "I guess someone needs a diaper change," said Spencer as he headed towards the stairs with his daughter.

As soon as Spencer disappeared, Clarissa looked at her brother, "Diana missed Spence all day long. She finally calmed down when I ended up putting a shirt that had Spencer's scent while playing the recordings that he made."

Haley softly snickered, "He's definitely going to be in trouble when Diana becomes a teenager."

Xxxx

10 minutes later the Hotchners and the Reids were sitting around the dining room table, and after everyone held hands so Spencer could say Grace all four adults started eating while Diana peacefully slept in her bassinet.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "How was work?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer and Hotch took turns sharing about their day before Clarissa and Haley talked about how Diana did all day.

Xxxx

Later that night Spencer was in Diana's nursery rocking his daughter to sleep, and he looked down at Diana who was staring at him, "I might not be home every night, but I want you to know that I will always love you."

Diana cooed at her daddy, and a minute later he started singing one of his favorite lullabies before he carried his daughter into the master bedroom where he gently set Diana in her bassinet.

Xxxx

Over four months later Spencer smiled at his baby girl who was getting up to her hands and knees, "Going to attempt crawling, baby girl?" asked Spencer as he looked at his daughter.

Diana grinned at her father, "Aye."

Clarissa grabbed the video camera that has been used constantly after Diana's birth, and as soon as she started the recording

Spencer looked at his nearly five-month-old daughter, "Come to daddy, Diana."

Diana started to slowly crawl to her daddy, and as soon as she reached him, Spencer scooped up his baby girl, "Daddy's so proud of you, baby girl," said Spencer as he kissed his daughter on the cheek before tickling Diana's belly, causing the baby girl to laugh.

Clarissa, who had already stopped recording, made her way to her husband and daughter, "Mommy's proud of you too." said Clarissa as she took Diana from Spencer.

Diana smiled at her parents before she started getting fussy just as Spencer and Clarissa smelled a stinky diaper,

"Rochambeau on who gets to change Diana's diaper and who gets to start cooking dinner?" asked Clarissa

"Two out of three gets to cook dinner," said Spencer.

"Deal," said Clarissa.

After three rounds of rock, paper, scissors, Clarissa was changing Diana's diaper while Spencer started cooking dinner.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer approached Mr. Corbett who was crying over the loss of his daughter.

"It's her, isn't it? It's my Darcy," said a sobbing Mr. Corbett.

"It might be, sir, but if it is, you don't want to see her. This isn't a memory that you want," said Spencer as he gently rested a hand on Mr. Corbett's arm and led him away as he introduced himself.

"How old are you?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"I'm 22," said Spencer.

"This your first case?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"I've been with the BAU for nearly seven months, but may I let you in on a secret?" asked Spencer.

"What?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"Only a few certain people in the FBI know that I'm married to my college sweetheart and have a nearly five-month-old daughter," said Spencer quietly.

"Do you have a picture of your little girl?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"Are you sure that you want to see a picture?" asked Spencer gently.

"Even though it's most likely my daughter in that grave, I won't mind seeing a picture of your little girl," said Mr. Corbett.

Spencer reached for his wallet from his back pocket, and a few seconds later he was showing Mr. Corbett a professional photo of Diana.

"She's beautiful, and I hope you do a better job at keeping your daughter safe," said Mr. Corbett

"I hope so too since I'm planning on keeping my wife and daughter a secret for as long as I can," said Spencer.

"Your parents must be proud of you for getting into the FBI so young," said Mr. Corbett.

Spencer's face saddened a bit, "My parents died when I was four, and my aunt and uncle who adopted me, died when I was 19," said Spencer.

"I'm sorry," said Mr. Corbett.

"It's OK because I know that they're proud of me for not letting the deaths of my aunt and uncle stop me from following my dreams, and my daughter Diana is named after my mom," said Spencer softly.

Xxx

The next day Spencer was sitting at his desk as Hotch paced.

"He hunts 200,000 acres like it's his own backyard. He attacks high-risk victims, young, strong female joggers, but in low-risk locations," said Hotch.

"Like David Carpenter, the trailside killer. Are there other parallels?" asked Morgan.

"This guy's different. Carpenter used a blitz attack. This unsub insinuates himself, disarms the victims," said Spencer.  
"Maybe he uses a con, Playing the injured hiker, lost dog?" asked Morgan.

"Too many variables. She could run for help or call 911 on her cell phone before he gains control," said Hotch.

Morgan stood up and headed to the board, "Control."

"He's in a position of authority," said Spencer.

"But not law enforcement. A cop would know better than to bury a body in two feet of dirt," said Morgan.

"The forest service would give him access to service road," said Hotch.

Spencer opened up the website for the forest, and a minute later he was highlighting the number of employees in the forest.

"1,718 employees," said Spencer.

Hotch, who was leaning over his shoulder, spoke up, "He won't be a new employee. He's cautious, he's organized. He leaves behind no trace evidence."

"He's bordering on paranoid. He's the kind of guy who needs to know exactly what the cops know. He's probably inserted himself Into the investigation already," said Morgan as he noticed their new technical analyst and looked at Spencer, "Hey, what's that new tech girl's name?"

"Uh... Gomez, I think," said Spencer.

Morgan headed towards Garcia, "Excuse me, Gomez," said Morgan, and when Garcia ignored him he tried a different tactic, "Hey, baby girl."

At that moment Spencer and Hotch exchanged glances while keeping their faces straight as they both thought about Spencer's nickname for Diana being baby girl.

"Baby girl?" asked Garcia.

"Forgive me. I just didn't know the real-" said Morgan.

"I've been called worse. What can I do for you?" asked Garcia.

Xxxx

A few hours later Spencer was sitting at his desk working on his post case paperwork while eating dinner that he brought from home when Garcia approached him, and she instantly noticed an old picture.

"Is that you as a child?" asked Garcia as she pointed at the picture of four-year-old Spencer with his parents.

"That was the last picture taken of my parents and me since they died two weeks later when I was four," said Spencer before pointing at a few pictures of him with his aunt and uncle, "That was the last picture of me with my aunt and uncle who adopted me after my parents death since they were killed by a drunk driver when I was 19."

"I understand what you went through since my parents were killed by a drunk diver when I was 18, and I ended up dropping out of Cal-tech. You already know how I got here since I saw you when I got arrested," said Garcia.

Spencer slightly smirked, "I almost attended Cal-tech when I graduated high school when I was 12, but I decided to go to Yale and eventually MIT since I wanted to be far away from Las Vegas as possible. After the deaths of my aunt and uncle my academic adviser sent me to mandatory grief counseling while having a few friends helped me by making sure I didn't isolate myself."

"How old are you?" asked Garcia.

"I'm 22, and I have been working for the BAU for seven months," said Spencer as Hotch came out of his office and looked at him.

"Need a ride home or are you going to take the train?" asked Hotch.

"A ride would be great," said Spencer as he put a few files into his messenger bag.

Xxxx

10 minutes later when Hotch was on the highway he burst out laughing.

"Finally laughing about what Morgan called our new technical analyst?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah, you already know that my eidetic memory doesn't allow me to remember everything I'm told verbally," said Spencer.

"Just so you know, Gideon and Johnson will be back tomorrow," said Hotch.

"OK," said Spencer.

Xxxx

45 minutes later Spencer entered Diana's nursery, and a few seconds later he was looking at his sleeping daughter for a few minutes before Diana opened her eyes and smiled when she saw her daddy.

"What are you doing up?" asked Spencer as he gently lifted his daughter out of her crib, causing him to feel a wet diaper.

Diana started babbling as Spencer carried her to the changing table where he worked on getting Diana into a clean diaper, and after she had a clean diaper on she started whimpering, causing Spencer to recognize her cry saying that she's hungry.

"Let's go get you a midnight snack," said Spencer as he left the nursery with Diana in his arms just as Clarissa exited the master bedroom.

"I heard you two through the baby monitor," said Clarissa.

"She's hungry," said Spencer as he passed Diana to his wife.

A few minutes later Clarissa was sitting up in bed nursing Diana while Spencer took a quick shower, and after his shower and Diana was burped both Spencer and Clarissa were fast asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that in the episode 100, JJ mentioned that she has been in the BAU for six years meaning that she joined in 2003, but I decided that she will join in 2004 instead since she recently turned 24.
> 
> I created a new OC and her name is Lucy Robertson who is 48 year old FBI certified nanny. Lucy retired from the FBI in the summer of 2003 (She knows Alex Blake well since they worked on the same floor at the Hoover Building and Alex referred Spencer and Clarissa to Lucy) when her husband committed suicide after their only son was killed in Iraq in March of 2003, causing her to go into the live in nanny business since she wanted to care for and protect children of FBI agents so she's up to date on self defense and shooting. Lucy moved into the pool house/guest house since there's an in ground swimming pool in the backyard of the Reid family house, and when Spencer is on a case and when Clarissa has to work the night shift (She's required to work third shift one week a month causing Spencer and Clarissa to decide on a live in nanny to have continuity for their daughter) she stays in the guest bedroom that she picked out but otherwise she takes care of Diana during the day and cooks meals for Spencer and Clarissa since she wants to put some weight on Spencer.
> 
> I cast Debbie Turner from "The Sound of Music" as Lucy Robertson.
> 
> Right now it's the end of June and beginning July during the year 2004 in this story, and with the 4th of July happening Spencer and Clarissa decided that it wouldn't hurt to take their six month old daughter camping for the first time since I read that it doesn't hurt to start taking a baby early despite the few adjustments that would need to be made when it comes to sleeping arrangements for Diana who loves snuggling with her daddy when he's home.

Spencer got out of his car just as Clarissa pulled into the garage, making him wait for her to come over to him.

"Welcome home, Spence," said Clarissa as she kissed her husband.

"Its good to be home, and at least we got home at the same time," said Spencer as he pushed the button to close the garage.

"Today was my last day working second shift since Lisa will be back from vacation tomorrow," said Clarissa as they walked into the house together where they hung their light sweaters on the coat rack and Spencer put his Glock into his safe before they headed into the kitchen hand in hand to find Lucy, their live-in nanny, making something on the stove and the tea kettle whistling.

"When you two called I decided to make you some tea and grilled cheese sandwiches," said Lucy.

"You didn't have to Lucy," said Spencer as he fixed himself and Clarissa some tea.

"You were on a jet for five hours Spencer. You know that I made it my goal to put some much-needed weight on your thin frame," said Lucy as she pointed at the table, causing Spencer and Clarissa to sit down, "I haven't started a load of laundry yet so as soon as you two are done eating I will start a load before heading to my little apartment." said Lucy as she thought about the pool house she decided to live in so Spencer and Clarissa could have privacy when Spencer's home.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were eating their late-night dinner, and after rinsing off their dishes they checked on Diana together before heading to the master bathroom where they decided to take a bubble bath together as they talked about the past four days before heading to bed themselves.

Xxxx

Six hours later Spencer entered Diana's nursery to find the six-month-old laying awake in her crib, and Diana's face broke into a huge grin when she saw her daddy who scooped her out of the crib and changed her diaper before taking her to her mommy so she could have some breakfast before her daddy burped her.

Xxxx

A half-hour later Spencer and Clarissa entered the kitchen with Diana on Spencer's hip, only to find Lucy placing plates blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon on the kitchen table.

"You two sit down and eat your breakfast," said Lucy as she took her young charge from her daddy "I bet you were happy to see that your daddy's finally home," cooed Lucy as she tickled the baby's girl tummy to get Diana to squeal with laughter.

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, and Lucy were eating their breakfast while Diana sat in her high chair snacking on some Cheerios.

"So what's the agenda for today since you're on stand-down for the holiday weekend?" asked Lucy as she kept an eye on Diana while eating her own breakfast.

"We're supposed to go over to my godparents' house for dinner this evening, and Alex mentioned that you're invited," said Spencer before putting a forkful of bacon into his mouth and chewing.

"I always liked your godmother, and I'm glad that she referred me to you two," said Lucy.

"Diana liked you instantly, and other nannies that we interviewed were judgmental of Spencer's career choice while there are a few who were judgmental of me for becoming a mother at 22-years-old," said Clarissa just as she felt something hit her before hearing baby laughter.

Spencer looked his daughter who was putting a Cheerio into her mouth, "Little miss Diana Ethel Reid, did you just throw cereal at mommy?" asked Spencer.

"Daddy," said Diana as she pointed at her daddy.

Spencer and Clarissa exchanged glances as Spencer held back his tears, "You just made my day, Diana, by saying your first word," said Spencer as he got up and kissed his daughter's head before smoothing back Diana's brown curly hair.

"Definitely a daddy's girl," said Clarissa and Lucy in unison before Clarissa looked at Lucy, "Are you packed up for when you go camping with Aaron, Haley, Spencer, Diana, and I on Thursday?" asked Clarissa as she thought about Spencer's suggestion to go camping for the 4th of July and her brother and sister-in-law asked if they could come so they had extra help with Diana before Lucy asked if they could tag along.

"Just about done," said Lucy as she thought about how she bonded with Spencer and Clarissa since they know what it's like to lose loved ones.

Xxxxx

Three hours later Spencer was sitting at his desk working on his consults when Gideon came towards him, Morgan, and Trevor with a young blonde woman.

"Morgan, Reid, and Johnson, I would like you three to meet our new communications liaison, Special Agent Jennifer Jareau," said Gideon as he introduced Spencer, Morgan, and Trevor to JJ.

"Please call me JJ," said JJ as she explained what her duties were before Gideon went to show her the office that was set up for her.

A minute later Morgan looked at Spencer, "So what are you doing for the 4th of July weekend?" asked Morgan.

"A few friends invited me to go camping with them, so I'm going camping," said Spencer.

"Good," said Morgan.

Xxxx

A few hours later Spencer was fixing himself some coffee when JJ joined him so she could fix herself some.

"Aren't you a bit younger than me?" asked JJ as she took in the young man who was wearing khakis, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a light blue tie, and was wearing his glasses.

Spencer added a liberal amount of sugar to his coffee, "Yes. I have been working for this unit for eight months and 15 days."

JJ thought about the crush she's been developing on Spencer, "Would you like to go get dinner this evening so we can get to know each other since we will be mainly working together at police stations and field offices?" asked JJ.

"I already have plans tonight that I can't cancel," said Spencer.

"What type of plans?" asked JJ.

"I'm supposed to meet with my godparents for dinner this evening because my godfather is home from India, and after dinner, I'm planning on working on a paper that I'm hoping to publish," said Spencer.

"What about tomorrow?" asked JJ.

"I have an evening guest lecture to give tomorrow for my godmother," said Spencer.

"OK, but what about this weekend since it's the 4th of July?" asked JJ.

"I'm going camping with a group of friends," said Spencer.

"OK," said JJ before walking away just as Morgan approached him.

"Did she ask you out on a date?" asked Morgan.

"She did, but I turned her down since I refuse to date colleagues and my uncle once told me that I should never date someone who carries a gun," said Spencer.

"That's my motto when it comes to dating, but aren't you ever going to go on dates?" asked Morgan.

"I'm happy with how my life is right now, and over the past nine months I made a bunch of friends that aren't associated with the FBI," said Spencer as he thought about the friends he and Clarissa made in church before he walked away to head back to his desk and finish up his consults so he could leave at 5.

Xxxx

Later that evening Spencer, Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy entered Alex's and James' house, and before they knew it Spencer and James were cooking dinner together while Clarissa, Alex, and Lucy played with Diana.  
"So what are you guys doing for the 4th of July?" asked James.

"Hotch, Haley, Lucy, Clarissa, and I are taking Diana camping for the first time so it will be interesting," said Spencer.

"I agree since Alex and I took Ethan camping when he was a baby," said James.

Xxxx

Two days later on July 3rd at 6:30 PM the Reids, Hotchners, and Lucy arrived at a campground right by a lake, and after Spencer and Hotch worked together on putting three tents up they joined the ladies who were already sitting in lounge chairs and drinking soda.

"We would have appreciated your help, ladies," said Hotch.

Haley and Clarissa smirked at each other, "I think we preferred to watch our men put up the tents," said Haley.

Diana started squirming on her mommy's lap, "Daddy," said Diana before signing that she wanted to cuddle with him.

Spencer took his daughter from Clarissa, and Diana instantly settled in her daddy's arms.

"I'm surprised how she's already saying daddy at six-months-old," said Hotch.

"When going through my mother's old journals I found out that I said my first word at five-months-old, and my mom mentioned in her journal that she read to me a lot when I was a baby," said Spencer as he thought about how comfortable he is talking about his late parents with Hotch, Haley, and Lucy.

Clarissa looked at her brother and her sister-in-law, "It's helpful that we have Spencer's old baby book and his mother's old journals even though they only go until her death, but they have helped us find out if Diana's early in development."

Spencer looked at his watch and saw that it was already 7:30 PM, "Should we get a fire started and make S'mores?" asked Spencer before he lifted Diana up a bit and turned her around so she could be standing on his lap.

Hotch, Haley, Clarissa, and Lucy all nodded in agreement, and Spencer handed his daughter over to Clarissa so he could make a fire the old fashioned way.

"Going to use matches?" asked Hotch as he watched Haley and Lucy get everything ready for S'mores.

"The sun is at a good angle for me to use my glasses," said Spencer as he gathered what he needed before removing his glasses.

Less than three minutes later Spencer had a fire started, allowing everyone to start roasting marshmallows over the fire as Diana who was bundled up against mosquitoes and the evening chill now sat in her baby seat a good distance away from the fire as she watched her mommy, daddy, auntie Haley, uncle Aaron, and her nanny roast marshmallows over the fire

Xxxx

20 minutes later everyone had their fill of S'mores, Spencer decided to head to Clarissa's car and get his acoustic guitar out of its hiding place.

"When did you start playing the guitar?" asked Hotch.

"Three months ago, and when it comes to my math skills and eidetic memory I'm picking up songs very fast," said Spencer.

"I hope that you're not playing or singing any "Nas" songs," said Hotch as he thought about how Morgan has been educating Spencer on Nas.

Spencer snorted, "What Morgan doesn't know is that when it comes to my godmother majoring in linguistics and getting me into linguistics she already got me into Nas quite a bit. I refuse to say anything to him because I'm deciding to play dumb around him because I rarely get to poke any fun at him," smirked Spencer, causing some laughter from everyone including Diana.

"I would love to be the fly on the wall as soon as he finds out that you have been familiar with Nas for a couple of years," said Hotch as he thought about how he gets to see how different Spencer is outside the office.

Spencer smiled softly at his wife who had a bundled up Diana sitting on her lap, "The first song goes out to you." said Spencer as he started playing the opening chords to "Can't Help Falling in Love" before singing the song directly to his wife.

When he was finished Clarissa was wiping tears, "That was beautiful, Spencer," said Clarissa as she leaned a bit to give her husband a kiss.

"I thought that playing the song that we danced to during our first dance as husband and wife would be a good idea," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, Haley, Lucy, and Clarissa, "Any requests?" asked Spencer as he listed off a bunch of songs by Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan.

Less than a minute late he was playing one of the songs that he listed as Hotch, Haley, Clarissa, and Lucy decided to sing along. After Spencer was finished they ended up singing a couple of more songs before everyone crawled into their tents to get some sleep.

Xxxx

The next morning Spencer and Clarissa crawled out of their tent with Diana only to find Lucy already making breakfast and some coffee over the fire.

"Breakfast will be done in ten minutes," said Lucy.

"OK," said Spencer and Clarissa in unison as they placed Diana in her baby seat so they could head to the area that they set up to do their business.

Xxx

10 minutes later the Reid family, the Hotchners, and Lucy were eating breakfast as they talked about what they wanted to do for the day while Diana who had a rough night due to cutting in another tooth peacefully slept in her baby seat.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer, Clarissa, Hotch, and Haley were hiking in a nearby forest and Spencer couldn't help calling various plants, birds, and trees by their scientific names, and after they were finished with their hike Spencer and Clarissa decided to put on their swimsuits and go swimming in the lake.

Xxxx

The next day Spencer, Clarissa, and Lucy entered the Reid family home with a sleeping Diana, and after putting Diana in her crib for a nap Spencer and Clarissa decided to take a shower together while Lucy decided to go through their laundry.

"Camping with my brother, sister-in-law, and the nanny ruins our sex lives," muttered Clarissa.

"Just be glad that you were able to get me away from my books and academic journals," teased Spencer.

"Smartass," said Clarissa as she slapped her husband on the chest before locking lips with him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts after the 4th of July weekend, and there will be a bunch of time jumps with fluffy moments in this chapter since a heavy rain shower helped inspire one of the scenes for this chapter even though I stayed indoors unless I had to run the dogs outside.

The Monday after the 4th of July, JJ looked at her teammates as they were eating lunch at a nearby diner in Quantico.

"Why don't you guys tell me a bit about yourselves since I don't want to read your files," said JJ.

Gideon decided to go first.

After Hotch, Garcia, Morgan, and Trevor went, Spencer looked at JJ as he pushed his glasses up his nose a bit, "I'm an only child, and I was orphaned at four when my parents were killed by a drunk driver."

"Did a family member raise you?" asked JJ.

"My mom's older brother and his wife adopted me, and despite graduating high school at 12-years-old, they made sure that I interacted with kids my age even after moving to New Haven with me when I went to Yale," said Spencer.

"Do you visit your aunt and uncle as often as this job allows you?" asked JJ.

Spencer sighed sadly, "They were killed by a drunk driver when I was 19," said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Luckily I didn't let the deaths of my aunt and uncle stop me from earning my second Ph.D. because the university helped me by having me attend grief counseling while having a group of friends who made sure that I didn't isolate myself," said Spencer before resuming his lunch to state that he's done talking.

Xxxx

Two weeks later during Spencer pulled up into the garage and entered the house to find Clarissa standing by the back patio door watching the steady rain shower that started when Spencer was driving back from Quantico.

"Hey," said Spencer as he wrapped his arms around Clarissa.

Clarissa turned herself around in her husband's embrace and smiled at Spencer who was wearing khakis, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a black tie with white polka dots.

Clarissa stood on her tiptoes and kissed her husband, "Welcome home."

"Where's Diana and Lucy?" asked Spencer as he thought about his now seven-month-old daughter and their live-in nanny.

"When you called me four hours ago to tell me that you were coming home this afternoon, Lucy insisted on taking Diana to her playgroup and going grocery shopping for me so we can spend some time together," said Clarissa before winking at her husband, "They left 10 minutes ago, and it's going to be three hours before they come home," said Clarissa before turning back to watch the rain shower outside.

Spencer watched the rain shower with his wife before smiling at a memory, "Remember when we were dating and we were sitting on a bench talking about kids when all of a sudden it started raining causing you to drag me into the field and got me to dance in the rain with you before it started down pouring causing us to splash around in puddles?" asked Spencer.

"I do," smiled Clarissa before forming an idea as she noticed the rain shower turning into a torrential downpour, causing puddles to form in their large fenced in back yard, "Since we have three hours before Lucy and Diana come home, do you want to go outside and dance in the rain to wash away what you just witnessed in St. Louis?" asked Clarissa as she thought about what her brother told her about how the unsub ended up committing suicide in front of Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, Trevor, and Gideon despite saving the last victim.

Spencer looked at his wife who was wearing denim shorts, a red t-shirt, and had her long dark hair was pulled into a messy bun before noticing the pleading look that his self-confident wife was giving him, "Let's me change out of my work clothes first," said Spencer as he attempted to walk away only for Clarissa to grab him.

"What you're wearing is fine since we will have to change into dry clothes when we come inside," said Clarissa as she rushed towards the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels and set them on the nearby end table, "Come on," said Clarissa as she kicked off her socks and shoes causing Spencer to follow suit before they ran outside barefoot.

Xxxx

After spending 10 minutes dancing in the downpour and splashing around in puddles they were totally soaked head to toe and covered in some mud from one of Spencer's clumsy moments causing them to fall into their garden.

"It's nice to see you loosen up when you're home because Aaron told me that you act older than your age at work so people will take you seriously," laughed Clarissa as she reached out and moved her husband's wet bangs out of his eyes so she could see his brown eyes through his glasses.

"I know, but it helps that we're polar opposites when it comes to our personalities," said Spencer as he twirled his wife around.

"After my first week at Yale, I actually noticed you on campus and thought about approaching you," said Clarissa.

"Why didn't you?" asked Spencer as he dipped his wife causing Clarissa to laugh.

"I was nervous since I was developing a crush on you and didn't know what to say," said Clarissa.

"Most of the time you're more self-confident than me, but we both know that you brought me out of my shell," teased Spencer.

Clarissa slapped her husband's soaking wet chest, "I know," laughed Clarissa before becoming serious, "During the next couple of months I ended up watching you a couple of times, and when I saw you sitting on that bench with tears falling down your face I instantly knew that I should approach and see if you were OK."

"I'm glad you did," said Spencer as he twirled his wife.

Xxxx

20 minutes later Clarissa looked at her husband and admired how his soaking wet clothes were clinging to him in all the right places, "I have plans for you tonight, Dr. Spencer Reid," smirked Clarissa.

Spencer looked at his wife and admired the sight of Clarissa's soaking wet clothes showing off all of her curves and swells while thinking back to when he told her that she still looks beautiful when she was trying to lose the baby weight that she gained when she was pregnant with Diana, "Really, nurse Clarissa Reid?" asked a smirking Spencer.

"My plans will have to wait until Diana's asleep, but for now let's go swimming in our clothes since we're already soaked," said Clarissa as she took hold of her husband's hand and started dragging him towards their in-ground swimming pool that she forgot to cover up after her morning swim.

Spencer shook his head at his free-spirited wife as he headed towards the pool with her, and as soon as they placed their glasses on the patio table they stood by the deep end of the pool and jumped in the pool at the same time.

Xxxx

After spending 45 minutes of swimming around the pool like gleeful children and playfully dunking each other before having a couple of make-out sessions, Spencer and Clarissa headed inside to warm up by taking a hot and steamy shower together. After their shower, they curled up on the couch in the living room and watched a movie together before Lucy and an excited Diana who was happy to have her daddy home again came home.

Xxxx

August of 2004

Clarissa looked at Spencer, "During your two-week annual leave, we should take Diana to Las Vegas so she can meet her great-aunt Elena." said Clarissa.

"You're taking time off too?" asked Spencer.

"I told my boss that you had some leave coming up, and she agreed to give me two weeks off," said Clarissa.

Lucy looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "Mind if I come with?" asked Lucy.

"You don't have to come with us since you could use this time to have a vacation of your own," said Clarissa.

"Would you two bring a seven-month-old baby girl on outings to places that aren't baby or child-friendly or have her be in the same room as you two when you're having mommy and daddy time?" asked Lucy.

Spencer and Clarissa instantly blushed, "Lucy's right that she should come with us," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at their live-in nanny, "Let us pay for your plane ticket and hotel room.

Cxxxx

A week later Spencer and Clarissa entered Elena's room where they saw Elena reading a book, "Hi aunt Elena," said Spencer.

Elena stopped reading and smiled when she saw her adoptive nephew holding a baby carrier that held a babbling baby girl, "I finally get to meet my great-niece?" asked Elena.

Spencer inwardly smiled when he realized that his adoptive aunt was lucid, "Yes," said Spencer as he set down the baby carrier before removing his seven-month-old daughter from her car seat, "Aunt Elena, I would like to introduce you to Diana Ethel Reid," said Spencer as he placed Diana in his adoptive aunt's arms.

"She's more beautiful in person," said Elena as she took in the sight of the blue-eyed, curly brown-haired baby girl before looking at Spencer and Clarissa, "Are you two going to have more kids soon?"

"We decided to wait until Diana's a little bit older and out of diapers," said Clarissa.

"There's nothing wrong with deciding to wait a couple of years since you're both 22 and have nearly 20 years to have a few more beautiful babies like Diana," said Elena before Diana started getting fussy, causing her to end up in her father's arms where she instantly calmed down. "You are going to be in trouble later Spencer."

"With how Diana has me wrapped around her finger, I already know that I will be in trouble in the future," said Spencer.

"Are you two here for my lecture?" asked Elena.

Spencer and Clarissa exchanged sad glances as they got up and left the room with Diana so they could go get lunch before heading to the cemetery.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer and Clarissa were standing by William and Diana Reid's graves with little Diana on Spencer's hip.

"Hi, mom. Hi dad," said Spencer as he took a deep breath, "I would like to introduce you to your first grandchild, Diana Ethel Reid who will be turning eight-months-old next week," said Spencer before he started to tell his parents about the milestones that Diana already reached before the family of three headed back to their hotel.

Xxxx

October 2004

Spencer was working on his consults when Morgan looked at him, "Isn't 23rd birthday tomorrow?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah," said Spencer.

"Doing anything special during your birthday weekend?" asked Morgan.

"Other than sleeping in, doing household chores, and running errands, I'm going horseback riding before it gets too cold," said Spencer.

"Have fun," said Morgan.

Xxx

The next morning Spencer woke up to babbling and a little hand on his nose just as he felt someone slipping on his glasses for him and a few seconds later he was seeing his grinning nine-month-old daughter.

"Daddy," beamed Diana.

"Happy birthday, Spence," said Clarissa as she moved Diana so Spencer could sit up.

As soon as Diana was on her daddy's lap Clarissa left the room Spencer smiled at Diana, "What is mommy up to?" asked Spencer as he cuddled with his nine-month-old daughter who was happily babbling as she chewed on a teething ring just as Clarissa entered the bedroom with breakfast.

"Bringing you breakfast in bed, and Diana might want you to share some of your scrambled eggs with her since she's still most likely hungry," said Clarissa as she settled herself on her side so she could feed her husband.

Xxxx

As soon as Spencer was done eating, Spencer and Clarissa were getting their riding clothes on and dropping Diana off at Hotch and Haley's before heading off to Rock Creek Park.

Xxxx

Spencer and Clarissa rode side by side on their horses, and Spencer looked at his wife who was comfortable on her rented horse, "How did I ever deserve a woman like you?" asked Spencer.

"Unlike most men our age, you know how to treat a girl right while I ended up turning down most boys since they were jerks growing up," said Clarissa before looking at her husband who looked happy to be living his southwestern roots again, "How did you ever deserve me while I'm not that smart as you?"

"I love your sweet caring nature while loving me for who I am while not walking away when you found out that I am a genius," said Spencer.

"There were some guys who walked away when they found out that I'm into "Star Wars," "Star Trek," "Dr. Who," and a bunch of other television shows, so I was glad when you recognized my nerdy references," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

For the next half hour, Spencer and Clarissa rode their rented horses while they talked about anything but work before they had to return their horses.

Xxxx

Later on that evening Spencer and Hotch were sitting in the Hotchner's living room floor playing with Diana while Haley and Clarissa were in the kitchen cooking one of Spencer's favorite foods when Diana decided to use the couch to stand up and walk towards the end table, causing Spencer to stand up and walk a couple of feet away.

"Come to daddy for a hug," coaxed Spencer just as Haley and Clarissa entered the room causing both women to gasp when they realized what Spencer was trying to do.

All four adults watched anxiously as Diana let go of the end table and took a bunch of wobbly steps into her daddy's arms while Spencer and Clarissa cried happy tears.

"Daddy's so proud of you," said Spencer as he kissed his daughter's cheek before passing his daughter to Clarissa.

"Mommy's proud of you too," said Clarissa just as the oven timer went off.

"Dinner's done," said Haley.

Xxxx

A couple of weeks later Lucy smiled when she saw Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana in their Halloween costumes for Diana's first Halloween.

"Diana makes a really cute ghost," said Lucy as she smiled at the "Ghostbusters" theme that Spencer and Clarissa decided to do.

"We know," said Clarissa.

"Before you three start trick or treating I must take a picture," said Lucy as she grabbed her camera.

A minute later Lucy was taking a picture of the family of three, and a few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were going door to door in their neighborhood trick or treating with Diana before Spencer and Clarissa headed off to a horror film movie marathon at one of their favorite movie theaters.

Xxxx

November 2004

Morgan looked at Spencer, "So what are you doing for Thanksgiving break?" asked Morgan.

"I'm going to New Haven for Thanksgiving since one of my uncle's former coworkers invited me to spend Thanksgiving with him and his wife since the fourth anniversary of aunt Ethel's and uncle Gordon's death is this Sunday. Then I'm staying in New Haven for three additional days since I've been asked to give a guest lecture about how I use my Ph.D. in mathematics for the FBI," said Spencer.

"I thought that you hate having to give guest lectures?" asked Morgan.

"Unless I'm giving a guest lecture at Yale, MIT, or Georgetown I really don't like giving guest lectures anywhere else," said Spencer.

Xxxx

The next Sunday, Clarissa looked down at her daughter as she fastened Diana's diaper in their hotel room bathroom,

"Daddy's a bit sad today since it's the fourth anniversary of the deaths of his aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon," said Clarissa as she got her daughter dressed for the day.

Diana babbled at her mommy as her mommy got her dressed, and as soon as she was dressed Clarissa lifted up her 11-month-old daughter, "Let's go wake up daddy," said Clarissa as she exited the bathroom with Diana.

A few seconds later Diana grinned when she saw her daddy stirring in the queen-sized bed, "Daddy."

Spencer cracked opened his eyes and blearily saw his two favorite girls just as Clarissa set Diana onto the bed, "Come here Diana."

Diana instantly crawled at her daddy before plopping herself onto her father's chest.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer was pushing Diana's stroller as he and Clarissa approached the bench that he met Clarissa at, and as soon as he removed Diana from her stroller the family of three was sitting on the bench with a bundled up Diana sitting on her daddy's lap while facing him.

"This was where mommy and I met on this date four years ago. November 30th is also special for your mommy and me because on the one year anniversary of the day I met your mommy I asked her to marry me at this bench, and I married your mommy two years ago on this date," said Spencer.

Diana happily babbled at her daddy.

"With how beautiful you are, your uncle Aaron and I are going to band together and scare every boy who wants to ask you out," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her daughter, "Unless you date a boy who's a lot like your daddy," said Clarissa.

Spencer shook his head as he saw his daughter falling asleep, "Let's take Diana back to the hotel since Lucy's going to watch her when we go out for dinner."

Xxxxx

Later that evening Spencer and Clarissa who were dressed to the nines were at a four-star restaurant in New Haven smiling and laughing as they celebrated the four-year anniversary of the day they met and their two-year wedding anniversary.

Xxxx

December of 2004

Clarissa woke up to her 11-month-old daughter squeezing her nose.

"Mommy," said Diana.

Clarissa put on her glasses and smiled at her daughter who was six days away from turning one, "What beautiful?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer entered the master bedroom with a tray filled with breakfast, "Happy birthday."

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were eating their breakfast in bed while Diana sat in between her parents enjoying the few bites of pancakes and scrambled eggs that her parents were slipping her.

"When did you get home from Detroit?" asked Clarissa.

"I got home a half-hour ago, and Lucy was already making breakfast so I offered to bring Diana up while bringing you breakfast in bed," said Spencer.

"Thanks," said Clarissa before looking at the alarm clock, "I wish that I didn't have to go to work today because we could be spending time together since you were gone for a week."

"Other than having today off, Gideon pulled strings to make sure that we're on stand down until after Christmas since he knows that I don't want to miss Diana's birthday next week Tuesday," said Spencer.

"We must get him something special for Christmas since he's also Diana's godfather," said Clarissa.

"We will since I ended up pulling his name for the Secret Santa present exchange that I'm doing with my teammates," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her daughter, "I just can't believe that Diana will be one next Tuesday."

"I can't believe it either, but I don't regret every minute I have spent with her when I'm home," said Spencer.

"Me too, and the next time we have a child, hopefully, it's a boy," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

Later that night Spencer and Clarissa were talking and laughing over an expensive Italian dinner over wine before heading to the dance floor so they could get some dancing in before heading home.

Xxxx

Six days later Hotch, Haley, and Sean watched Spencer and Clarissa help their daughter blow out her birthday candle, and after Clarissa sampled some cake herself she smiled at her daughter.

"Yum," said Clarissa as she watched her husband start the video camera.

Diana copied her mommy's movements, and within 10 minutes Diana was covered head to toe in birthday cake causing all five adults to smile and laugh at the hyper one-year-old girl.

Xxxxx

Two days later Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates for the Secret Santa gift exchange, and Spencer smiled at Gideon's reaction of his new train set.

"Thank you, Spencer," said Gideon.

"You're welcome," said Spencer before he opened up his gift and shook his head when he saw some Nas CDs, "I bought these CDs for two years ago, Morgan."

"Then why did you tell me that you weren't familiar with Nas?" asked Morgan.

"I decided to poke some fun at you, and I was trying to wait for the right time to tell you," said Spencer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am planning that the next chapter will end up taking place in September of 2005 six months after Boston meaning that Hotch and Haley will be expecting Baby Jack.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm now in the season 1 arc for this story. I'm planning on that there will be one teammate who will end up finding out about Spencer's secret family when I do Plain Sight.

Spencer looked at the vacated desk that once belonged to Trevor six months ago as he quickly packed up so he could make it home in time for dinner with Clarissa and Diana, "Have a good night, Morgan," said Spencer.

Morgan who had five more consults to work on looked at Spencer, "Heading home, kid?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded, "Yes."

"When I'm done here, I'm going to a bar with some female trainees. If you want to go with me, I could help you find a date."

Spencer slung his messenger bag around his shoulders, "I'm not interested in dating and I have better things to do than go to bars."

Hotch hurried down the stairs and looked at his brother-in-law, "Heading home Reid?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded, "Yes."

Hotch thought about his brother-in-law choosing to take the train to work, "Since you took the train in this morning, let me give you a ride."

Spencer smiled at his brother-in-law, "A ride home would be great."

Xxx

10 minutes later into the car ride home, Spencer looked at his brother-in-law, "Have you and Haley come up with a name for my nephew?" asked Spencer.

Hotch smiled as he thought about how hard his brother-in-law has been working on containing his excitement at becoming an uncle at the office, "We're still talking about names. You and sister had it easy when it came to naming my niece."

"When I told Clarissa the name of my biological mom, she instantly loved the name Diana since her favorite character in "Anne of Green Gables" is Diana Barry. I didn't argue with her about naming our firstborn daughter Diana since we agreed to name our first two daughters after our mothers."

"What if Diana was a boy?" asked Hotch.

"We would have named our son Tristan William Reid since my middle name is Tristan and William after my dad." said Spencer before thinking about other names, "Plus there are a few more names on our list like Gabriel and Evan, but we won't finalize boy names unless your sister and I are expecting a boy in the future."

"I will let Haley know that Tristan, Gabriel, and Evan are off-limits," said Hotch.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

Xxx

Hotch pulled up in front of the Reid family home just as Clarissa pulled into the garage.

Spencer looked at his brother-in-law, "See you tomorrow."

Spencer ran into the garage and hugged and kissed his wife, "How was work?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa beamed at her husband, "One of the patients I was in charge of today drew you a picture when she asked me about my wedding band," said Clarissa as she pulled a picture out of a pocket of her scrub shirt and passed it to her husband.

Spencer smiling at the picture that a little girl named Isabel drew of him, Clarissa, and Diana together, "I take it that you ended up showing her a picture of you, Diana, and I and she developed a crush on me."

Clarissa nodded, "Yes, and I think that it's cute that the little girls that I help take care of ends up developing a crush on you."

Spencer looked into his wife's blue eyes, "Speaking of little girls, we have our own little girl waiting inside for us with her nanny."

Clarissa thought about her 21-month-old daughter who's one of the lights of her life, "Let's go see our little girl, Spence."

Spencer and Clarissa entered their house and as soon as Spencer locked up his gun, Diana came running to her mommy and daddy, "Mommy! Daddy!".

Spencer swooped up his daughter and blew a raspberry on her belly before passing the giggling nearly 21-month-old little girl to her mommy.

"Were you a good girl for Lucy?" asked Clarissa.

Lucy entered the foyer and nodded, "She was, and I took her out for ice cream after her afternoon nap."

Diana grinned as she rubbed her tummy, "Yummy, yummy in my tummy."

Spencer sniffed the air, "What's for dinner?" asked Spencer.

"Chicken pot pie, and it will be done in 10 minutes," said Lucy before heading back to the kitchen so she could set the table.

Clarissa looked at her husband who was licking his lips just like herself, "I think we scored a good nanny who insists on cooking for us so we can relax after a hard and long day at work."

"We need to get my godmother something special for Christmas again," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer and Clarissa took their daughter to the bathroom to assist Diana with washing her hands before they washed their own.

Xxx

As they were eating dinner, Spencer looked at his daughter, "What did you do today, baby girl?" asked Spencer.

The 21-month-old toddler grinned at her parents, "Lu-cy take me to the zoo."

"What animals did you see?" asked Clarissa.

"Lion, tiger, and bear," said Diana as she used sign language for all three animals.

"Oh my!" chorused Spencer, Clarissa, and Lucy.

Diana tilted her head, "Why say oh my?" asked Diana.

"Mommy, Lucy, and I were just quoting the line that was said after 'lions, tigers, and bears' from the movie "The Wizard of OZ"," said Spencer.

"We watch "The Wizard of OZ"?" asked Diana.

Spencer smiled as he realized that Diana pronounced wizard correctly, "When you're a bit older since there might be a few scenes that might scare you." said Spencer before smiling a bit, "Maybe I can start reading you the book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" which is based on the movie."

Diana beamed at her father, "OK."

Xxxx

Two and a half hours later Spencer and Clarissa were each sitting on a side of Diana's twin-sized bed, "Daddy loves you baby girl." said Spencer as he kissed Diana on the forehead.

Diana gave her father a small smile, "Wuv you too daddy."

Clarissa kissed Diana on the forehead, "Mommy loves you."

Diana kissed her mother's cheek, "Wuv you too mommy."

A few minutes later, Diana was fast asleep causing the 23-year-old father to place the removable guard rails in place while Clarissa turned on Diana's baby monitor.

Xxx 

After cleaning up the mess that Diana made in the living room, Spencer and Clarissa were plopping down onto the couch, "I can't believe that Diana will be 21-months-old tomorrow and recently transitioned to a big girl bed earlier this month," said Spencer as Merton jumped onto his lap, causing him to start petting their two-year-old Maine Coon cat, "I guess that you want some cuddles with daddy."

Merton meowed at his father while Clarissa looked at her husband as she joined in petting their family cat, "Me neither, but with how Diana has already started potty training its better for her to be in a big girl bed," said Clarissa before thinking about her sister-in-law being pregnant, "I can't wait to spoil our nephew."

Spencer looked at his wife, "Aaron asked me about how we decided on baby names, and he promised not to name his son Tristan, Gabriel, or Evan since we already called dibs on those names."

Clarissa pulled Spencer into a kiss just as Spencer's work phone rang, causing Spencer and Clarissa to groan as Spencer answered his phone and listened to his brother-in-law before hanging up.

"Where are you off to this time?" asked Clarissa.

"I'm going to Seattle. Your brother is on his way to pick me up," said Spencer.

Clarissa kissed her husband, "Please stay safe, and let Aaron know that tomorrow after work I will go help Haley out."

"I will. I love you," said Spencer.

"Love you too, Spence," said Clarissa.

Five minutes later Spencer was in Hotch's car using a flashlight as he read the file that was faxed over to his brother-in-law.

Xxxx

When they were halfway to Quantico, Hotch looked at his brother-in-law, "Will you go to the academy and collect Gideon?" asked Hotch.

Spencer thought about Gideon not traveling for work for the past six months, "Is medical leave over for him?" asked Spencer.

Hotch nodded as he focused on the road, "It is."

Spencer sighed, "Can you believe it that the second anniversary of the day when I joined the B.A.U. is fast approaching?" asked Spencer.

"I can't believe it either," said Hotch.

Xxxx

After the case was over, Spencer entered the house and smiled when Diana came running towards him.

"I miss you, daddy," said Diana.

Spencer swooped up his daughter, "I missed you too baby girl."

Clarissa exited the kitchen and kissed her husband, "Thanks for calling ahead because Lucy and I just put dinner in the oven."

"How much longer until dinner is done?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her husband who was wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he left the house, "A half-hour, so you have enough time to take a shower."

Diana looked at her daddy, "We play?" asked Diana.

Spencer smiled, "Daddy has to take a shower first, and after dinner, we can play."

Diana sighed, "OK daddy."

Clarissa looked at her daughter and pouted, "You don't want to play with me while daddy showers?"

Diana smiled at her mother, "I play with mommy."

Spencer passed Diana to his wife before bolting up the stairs.

Xxx

A half-hour later Spencer was sitting at the dining room table with Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy.

Sxxx 

After dinner, Spencer and Clarissa spent some time playing with Diana before they worked together on bathing and tucking their daughter into bed.

Xxx

After spending some time downstairs cleaning up Diana's toys and watching the evening news, they headed up to their bedroom where they ended up having mommy and daddy time to celebrate Spencer being home after two nights away before they fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Spencer was eating breakfast with Lucy, Clarissa, and Diana when he looked at Clarissa, "We're getting a new teammate today, and she's from the Seattle Field office," said Spencer as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I missed Aaron when he worked there for two years," said Clarissa before thinking about the few times she met Agent Trevor Johnson when Spencer was in the academy, " Are you OK with having a new teammate even though Trevor died six months ago?" asked Clarissa.

"I'm OK with getting a new teammate," said Spencer before smiling at Diana who had cleaned off her plate, "Good job, baby girl."

Diana pointed at her empty plate, "More pwease."

"Only because you said please," teased Spencer as he forked another few pieces of cut-up pancakes onto Diana's small plate and poured a little bit of maple syrup.

Diana smiled at her father, "Tank you, daddy."

"You're welcome, baby girl," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "When it comes to watching you with Diana, I can't wait to see how you are with our nephew."

"Did Aaron tell you about how hard I am working at trying to contain my excitement about our nephew at the office since there are times that I want to blurt out that Baby Hotchner is my nephew by marriage?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa smiled, "He has."

Spencer looked at his watch, "I have to get going so I can catch the train," said Spencer as he stood up and kissed his two girls on either the lips or cheek.

Lucy looked at the father of her young charge, "Don't I get a kiss on the cheek?" asked Lucy.

Clarissa ended up doing a spit take with her orange juice, causing Diana to start giggling while Spencer's face heated up.

As Clarissa regained her composure she looked at her husband, "Just give the nanny a kiss on the cheek."

Spencer shook his head and gave the nanny a peck on the cheek.

Clarissa used her cellphone to take a picture of her husband kissing the nanny on the cheek, "I'm so sending this to Haley."

Spencer mocked glared at his wife, "You are so going to get it when I get home," said Spencer before walking away while he heard Lucy talk to Clarissa.

"You and Spencer remind me so much of how my late husband and I were together," said Lucy.

Xxx

Later on that morning, Spencer headed to the bathroom where he sent Clarissa a text message on his phone.

I'M GOING TO TEMPE, ARIZONA SO I WON'T BE COMING HOME TONIGHT. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE. PLEASE GIVE DIANA A GOODNIGHT KISS FROM ME AND TELL HER THAT I LOVE HER. I LOVE YOU AND I WILL TRY TO CALL YOU WHEN I CAN SNEAK AWAY FROM MY TEAMMATES. ~ SR

A minute later Spencer got a reply.

THANKS TO LETTING ME KNOW, AND I LOVE YOU TOO. ~ CR

Xxxx

After the case was over and everyone was back at Quantico, Spencer was signing off his paperwork when Elle looked at him, "What's with those pictures on your desk?" asked Elle as she pointed at an aged picture and a picture from when he was 17-years-old.

Spencer picked up the aged photo, "This was the last picture that was taken of my biological parents and me together," said Spencer as he looked at his four-year-old self, "Next March it will be 20 years since they died."

"I was eight when my dad died," said Elle before seeing the picture of Spencer at his college graduation, "Are those relatives of yours?" asked Elle.

Spencer nodded, "My mom's older brother and his wife adopted me," said Spencer.

Elle studied the picture closely and noticed a teenaged Spencer wearing a doctoral gown standing between a curly blonde hair and blue eye man who was wearing a police badge and a red-haired woman with green eyes.

"Your uncle is a police officer?" asked Elle.

"He was a police officer," corrected Spencer.

"He died in the line duty?" asked Elle.

"When I was 19-years-old, he and aunt Ethel were driving back from New York City when a sibling of a suspect that my uncle did a kill shot on wanted to get revenge on him by killing my aunt and uncle while driving drunk," said Spencer sadly.

"Their deaths led you to go down the FBI route?" asked Elle.

"Over two and a half months before they died, I was approached by the CIA for the third time. Uncle Gordon who has been doing his best to protect me when it came to being hounded by recruiters from various government agencies heard that Gideon was going to give a lecture at Yale and encouraged me to go to the lecture since he thought that the FBI would be a good career for me." said Spencer before smiling a bit, "I attended the lecture and asked Gideon some interesting questions before I snuck away. A couple of months later I finally had a chance to meet him, causing me to be in regular contact with him while I spent the next two and a half years working on the degrees that I wanted to earn and prepare myself for the physical part of the academy before I got into the academy when I was 21-years-old."

"I think its good that you didn't let the deaths of your aunt and uncle stop you from following your dreams," said Elle.

"I know that they would be proud of me. One thing I'm glad about was that my uncle had taught me how to defend myself and how to shoot a gun before his death because he was one of the best sharpshooters in Nevada and eventually Connecticut," said Spencer.

"How good of a shot are you?" asked Elle.

"Despite never having to shoot an unsub in the field, I'm a fairly decent shot when I have my requalifications, but during my last re-qualification I barely passed it," said Spencer.

"Maybe I could help you a bit," said Elle.

"Hotch was already planning on helping me since my re-qualification is next month, but it will be nice to go to the shooting range with someone I haven't gone with yet," said Spencer as he looked at his watch and his completed stack of paperwork, "I'm going to go hand in my paperwork since I have to get going."

"You have a date Reid?" asked Morgan.

"I'm meeting with my godparents for dinner since my since my godfather is back in the country and my godmother is hoping that I would guest lecture for her again," said Spencer.

"Guest lecturing after what happened in Arizona?" asked Elle.

"My godmother is a forensics linguistics professor at Georgetown University when she's not working at the Hoover Building," said Spencer.

"Your godmother is an FBI agent?" asked Elle.

"My godmother is SSA Dr. Alex Blake. She was my mother's best friend in college, so being placed in this unit allows me to see my godmother outside of cases," said Spencer as he grabbed his completed files and headed up to Hotch's office and a couple of minutes later he was leaving the bullpen.

Xxx

Three hours later Spencer, Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy were eating dinner with Alex and James Blake while Spencer talked to his godmother about the upcoming guest lecture that she wanted him to give.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With having Spencer's birthday happening on October 9th and October 9th happening on a Sunday in 2005, let's just say that there's an office party the day after Spencer's birthday.

Spencer woke up to kisses from 21-month-old Diana, "Happy birfday daddy." said Diana.

Spencer slipped on his glasses and smiled at his daughter, "Thank you, baby girl," said Spencer as he hugged his daughter just as Clarissa brought breakfast into the room.

"As soon as we eat breakfast, we're off to church," said Clarissa.

"Do we have to go?" asked Spencer as he looked at his 23-year-old wife.

"We should go since you promised Reverend Alden that you would come every Sunday you're home. After your birthday dinner at my brother's house, I have a special birthday present waiting for you," said Clarissa as she joined her husband and daughter in bed.

Later that evening, Spencer was blushing when Hotch, Haley, Clarissa, and Gideon sang "Happy Birthday" to Spencer as Diana sat on her daddy's lap.

After Spencer blew out the candles, Diana looked at her daddy, "Can I pwease have cake now daddy?" asked Diana as she took in the sight of the chocolate cake that her mommy and auntie Haley made together.

"Yes baby girl, and this December there will be a birthday cake for you when you turn two," said Spencer as he tickled the 21-month-old toddler's belly, causing Diana to squeal with laughter.

Haley looked at her husband who was smiling at the antics of his brother-in-law and niece who were both smiling and laughing, "That will be you in a couple of weeks," said Haley as she rubbed her 33-week pregnant belly.

Xxxx

An hour and a half later Spencer and Clarissa were undressing each other before they started passionately making out in bed.

Dxxxx

The next day Spencer groaned when he saw JJ, Morgan, and Elle set up the office birthday party for him at his desk and after the entire office singing "Happy Birthday" to him he was trying to blow out the candles of his birthday cake.

"Make a wish!" said Elle.

Spencer attempted to blow out the candles and when they refused to blow out, Morgan looked at him.

"Come on man! Blow, baby blow!" laughed Morgan as he thought about how good his prank is working.

Elle laughed as she looked at Spencer, "I thought you were full of hot air, Reid."

"Come on, Reid," said Morgan.

JJ decided to give her crush some help, "They're trick candles, Spence, okay? They gonna come back on every time."

Morgan leaned over Spencer's shoulder, "Oh, mommy to the rescue!" said a teasing Morgan as he playfully moved Spencer's hat.

"Mommy?" asked Spencer before looking at the last picture of him with his mom before glaring at Morgan.

Morgan looked at the photo that Spencer was looking at before feeling guilty, "Sorry kid."

A smiling Hotch who was standing with Gideon looked at his brother-in-law before looking at Gideon, "Is it amazing he knows what he knows and he's only 24?" asked Hotch as he thought about how fond of he became of the man who married his baby sister.

Morgan looked at Spencer, "Reid, does this make you legal yet?" asked Morgan.

"Imagine what he'll know by 50," said Gideon as he thought about how Spencer could be a grandfather by then.

Spencer kept his eyes forward as Elle and JJ removed the candles from his birthday cake.

"Hope you like chocolate," said Elle as a phone rang, causing Anderson to address Hotch.

"Agent Hotchner?" asked Anderson.

Morgan saw wax on the cake, "You blew wax onto the cake, man."

Hotch headed towards Anderson as Spencer took the opportunity to approach Gideon.

"You having fun?" asked Gideon as he thought about the birthday dinner he attended at the Hotchners the evening before.

"Yes, definitely. I'm definitely having fun," said Spencer sarcastically.

"Make a wish?" asked Gideon.

Spencer raised his eyes to his hat, "Can I take this hat off?" asked Spencer.

"I wouldn't," said Gideon.

"Hey Spence, first piece for the birthday boy," said JJ as she smiled at Spencer.

Spencer looked at Gideon, "Do you know she's the second person in the whole world who calls me "Spence" and become a big sister to me?" asked Spencer quietly.

"I know," said Gideon.

"Spence get over here," ordered JJ.

A few seconds later Spencer was taking his piece of cake from JJ, "Thank you," said Spencer as he started eating his cake while thinking about how he preferred the cakes that his aunt Ethel, Clarissa, Haley, or Lucy makes for him.

"Birthday boy," said Morgan.

A minute later Hotch looked at his teammates before landing his eyes on his brother-in-law, "Sorry, guys, the party's over." said Hotch as he told his teammates to take a few minutes to finish up their pieces of cake.

Xxxx

After briefing was over, Spencer was in the men's bathroom texting with Clarissa.

I'M GOING HOME RIGHT NOW SINCE I'M LEAVING FOR SAN DIEGO TOMORROW MORNING, SO I HAVE THIS EVENING TO SPEND WITH YOU AND DIANA BEFORE MEETING ON THE AIR STRIP. ~ SR

Xxx

Spencer was fiddling with a Rubik cube that Diana snuck into his messenger bag as he sat at a desk with Elle.

Elle looked at Spencer, "God, I hate waiting like this."

Spencer thought about the ballad he quoted on the jet and Morgan saying something about him never being able to get a date, "Do you think it's weird that I knew that ballad?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know how it is that you know half the things you know, but I'm glad you do," said Elle.

"Morgan's comment on the plane hurt," whispered Spencer.

Elle quickly thought about Morgan's comment about Spencer never getting a date as she looked at Spencer, "Have you ever ask anyone out?" asked Elle.

Spencer looked around before inching closer to Elle, "I have no reason to ask anyone out," whispered Spencer as he reached into his shirt and pulled out the chain that was around his neck, causing a wide-eyed Elle to see a gold wedding band before he slipped it back into his shirt and grabbed a note and picture from his messenger bag and passed it to Elle who silently read it.

I'VE BEEN MARRIED TO MY COLLEGE SWEETHEART SINCE NOVEMBER 30TH OF 2002. MY WIFE AND I GAVE BIRTH TO OUR DAUGHTER, DIANA ETHEL REID ON DECEMBER 21ST OF 2003. THE REASON WHY I HAVEN'T BROUGHT UP THAT I'M MARRIED AND A FATHER IS BECAUSE I'M MARRIED TO HOTCH'S LITTLE SISTER. HOTCH, GIDEON, AND CHIEF STRAUSS THINK THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD THINK THAT I GOT INTO THE BAU BY NEPOTISM. I DIDN'T SINCE I WORKED HARD IN COLLEGE AND THE ACADEMY TO GET WHERE I AM TODAY. SO PLEASE KEEP THIS INFORMATION A SECRET.

Elle looked at the note and the picture of Clarissa and Diana together, causing her to see that Clarissa had Hotch's hair color while noting that Diana had her father's curly brown hair and her mother's blue eyes, "Your secret is safe with me," whispered Elle as she handed the note and picture back.

Spencer slipped the note and picture back into his messenger bag just as the phone rang and Detective Martin answered it.

Xxxx

The next evening Spencer was flying back to Virginia with his teammates when Gideon paused his chess game with Spencer and grabbed a small box from his bags, "Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you," said Gideon.

"Oh, yeah?" asked Spencer.

"Forgot to give it to you at the birthday dinner Haley hosted for you and your party at work," said Gideon as he passed Spencer a wrapped gift box.

"But you don't give birthday presents," said Spencer as he unwrapped the box and smiled when he saw the gift certificate for the portrait studio that he and Clarissa take Diana to for portraits and smiled at the note.

I LOOKED AT THE PHOTOS ON THE WALL AT YOUR HOUSE, YOU AND CLARISSA ARE DUE FOR A FAMILY PORTRAIT WITH DIANA. THE PACKAGE IS ALREADY PAID FOR.

Spencer smiled at Gideon, "Thank you so much," smiled Spencer before looking at the chessboard and moved a chess piece, "Checkmate."

Gideon looked at Spencer in shock before Spencer handed Gideon a note that he wrote earlier.

ELLE KNOWS THAT I'M MARRIED AND A FATHER SINCE I ENDED UP TELLING HER THAT I WAS A BIT PEEVED AT MORGAN'S COMMENT ABOUT ME NOT BEING ABLE TO GET A DATE ON THE PLANE. SHE'S WILLING TO KEEP MY SECRET LIFE A SECRET.

"Good to know," said Gideon.

Xxxx

A few hours later Spencer was packing up his desk when Hotch was coming down the stairs, "Need a ride home, Reid?" asked Hotch.

Spencer smiled at his brother-in-law, "A ride would be great."

Xxx

As soon as they were on the highway, Spencer looked at Hotch, "I ended up confessing to Elle that I'm married to your sister and that I'm a dad after we ended up having a conversation about me dating due to Morgan's comment on the plane. She's willing to keep my marital status and Diana a secret," said Spencer.

"Good to know," said Hotch.

"Excited about Jack's upcoming birth?" asked Spencer.

"I'm excited and nervous. Other than helping take care of Sean and Clarissa when they were babies, Diana has helped me get a better understanding of how to take care of a baby," said Hotch.

"I just can't believe that Diana's going to be two in December," said Spencer.

"I know, but when it comes to this job it helps to have a family to go home to," said Hotch.

"Clarissa once told me that a couple of months before she approached me, she saw me on campus a couple of times and was afraid to approach me," said Spencer.

"I didn't even know that," said Hotch.

"She didn't know what to say," said Spencer.

"Finding you on that bench gave her something to say," said Hotch.

"I just can't believe that next month will be the fifth anniversary of aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon's deaths, the fifth anniversary of meeting Clarissa, and the third anniversary of marrying her," said Spencer.

"Me neither, but what I have told you before, I'm glad that it was you that fell in love with my baby sister," said Hotch as he noticed Spencer pull something out of his satchel, "What's that?"

"Gideon got me a gift certificate for Clarissa's and my favorite portrait studio since he mentioned that Clarissa, Diana, and I are due for some new family portraits to display at home," said Spencer.

"I agree," said Hotch.

Xxx

A couple of days later Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana were sitting on fallen leaves at Rock Creek Park in jeans and matching sweaters while Diana wore a purple corduroy overall dress smiling as a photographer took a picture of the Reid family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope that Gideon's birthday gift for Spencer was a good idea instead of Redskins tickets since Spencer wouldn't cheat on Clarissa.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts two hours after chapter 19 since Haley's now on bed rest.
> 
> This chapter deals with the episode Broken Mirror, and I am not going to include one of the phone call scenes because of what I have planned for this chapter.

Spencer and Clarissa entered Haley's hospital room with Diana on Spencer's hip, and Haley smiled when she saw her niece, "Hi there Diana," said Haley.

Diana grinned at her aunt, "Hi."

"How are you doing?" asked Clarissa as she looked at the monitors that Haley was hooked up to.  
Haley sighed, "I'm upset about being on bed rest, but I know that I have to listen to my doctor if I want my son to be born healthy."

Clarissa rested a hand on her sister-in-law's shoulder, "At least you only have six more weeks to go, Haley."

"Your pregnancy was much easier than mine," pointed out Haley.

"I might have had it easier since I was 21 and 22 when I was pregnant with Diana while you're 34-years-old, Haley," said Clarissa.

Haley sighed, "I know."

Spencer reached into his messenger bag and placed a stack of books on Haley's bedside table, "You were talking about reading some of the books on my shelves, so consider borrowing these to keep you busy."

Haley smiled at her brother-in-law, "Thank you, Spencer."

"You're welcome," said Spencer.

"As soon as Jack's old enough for you and Aaron to go out for a child-free evening, Spence and I will be glad to babysit since you and Aaron babysat for us countless of times," said Clarissa.

At that moment a nurse entered the room and smiled at the sight of Diana, "Is this the niece that you've been talking to me about?" asked Nurse Lillian.

Haley nodded, "This is my 21-month-old niece Diana."

Diana smiled at Nurse Lillian, "Hi."

"You are so precious, Diana," said Nurse Lillian before looking at Spencer and Clarissa, "I have a six-year-old daughter, and I loved it when my daughter was Diana's age."

"Despite the terrible twos?" asked Clarissa.

"What did Diana do now?" asked Haley.

Clarissa laughed, "Diana drew on the walls of her bedroom with permanent markers, and luckily we still have the paint we used to repaint Diana's room when we transitioned her from a crib to a twin-sized bed."

Haley laughed.

Xxx

The next day the team was on their way to Bridgeport, Connecticut to find Mr. Davenport's missing daughter when, Morgan looked at Spencer, "You OK with going home to Connecticut?" asked Morgan.

"Even though the fifth anniversary of aunt Ethel's and uncle Gordon's deaths is six weeks away, I'm OK with going to Connecticut since I have a lot of happy memories from when I lived there from 1994 to May of 2001," said Spencer.

Xxxx

Two days after rescuing Mr. Davenport's daughters, Spencer was leaving the firing range with Elle when Elle looked at Spencer, "Did you ride in with Hotch this morning or took the train?" asked Elle as she thought about Spencer telling her that he lives two blocks away from Hotch.

"Rode in with Hotch, and Hotch is already at the hospital with Haley," said Spencer.

Elle looped arms with Spencer, "I'll give you a ride home, Chico."

"OK." shrugged Spencer.

Xxx

A short while later Spencer was in the front passenger seat of Elle's car.

After Elle put Spencer's address into the GPS, she looked at Spencer, "Since we're somewhere where JJ, Garcia, and Morgan aren't listening in, how about you tell me about Clarissa and your daughter?" asked Elle

Spencer smiled, "I met Clarissa on November 30th in 2000," said Spencer as he explained what he was doing and what Clarissa said to him before looking at Elle, "I also met Hotch that day."

"Really?" asked Elle.

"Clarissa didn't want me to be alone, so she begged Hotch over the phone to let me join them for lunch."

"You must have been scared of meeting Hotch that day," said Elle.

"He was nice to me. When he found out about my IQ, memory, reading speed, and finding out the list of degrees under my belt, he asked me what I was planning on doing after college since he told me that the FBI is always looking for academics," said Spencer.

Elle thought about how Spencer's contributions to cases helped make cases go quicker, "Sometimes more brains are needed than brawn," smiled Elle before thinking about Clarissa, "How long did it take you to ask Clarissa out?"

"We were friends for two weeks since I was grieving, and during those two weeks Clarissa helped me pack up the house that I lived in with aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon before I was old enough to live in the dorms while showing up at the funeral despite only knowing me for two day," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "It was a couple of days before Clarissa's 19th birthday that I ended up calling Hotch and asked him for his blessing to ask Clarissa to be my girlfriend."

"He gave you his blessing?" asked Elle.

"He noticed the looks we were giving to each other. When I attended MIT for two years we managed our relationship by daily phone calls and visiting each other twice a month," said Spencer.

"So how long did it take you to propose to her?" asked Elle.

"On the first anniversary of the day I met her, I was in New Haven since I was invited to join my uncle's former coworkers for dinner. I ended up taking her to the bench where we met and asked her to marry me," said Spencer.

"Aww," said Elle before coming serious, "What about the wedding?"

"We had a church wedding at Clarissa's childhood church in Manassas, Virginia on our second anniversary of the day we met," said Spencer.

"So November 30th will always be a special day for you two," said Elle.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"So what's Clarissa's personality like?" asked Elle.

Spencer laughed, "Clarissa's a free-spirited woman, so Hotch and Gideon have witnessed me be a different person outside of work since Clarissa has brought me out of my shell since the day I met her," said Spencer.

"Does Clarissa glare just like our boss?" asked Elle.

Spencer laughed, "Oh yeah, and despite being almost 22-months-old, Diana already has mastered the Hotchner glare."

Elle laughed at the idea of a 22-month-old toddler who looked like her father glaring at her father, "I bet Hotch is proud of his niece."

Spencer nodded, "He sure is because Diana is also advanced for her age since she has inherited my intelligence, but her personality is just like Clarissa's so Diana got the best from both Clarissa and me," said Spencer before his phone vibrated and he smiled at the text message from Clarissa.

I'M COOKING DINNER WITH LUCY RIGHT NOW/ SO WHY DON'T YOU BRING ELLE INSIDE SINCE I WANT TO MEET HER. ~ CR

"Clarissa's making dinner right now, and you're invited," said Spencer.

"Since Morgan, JJ, and Garcia mentioned that they never been inside your house, you're willing to let me inside?" asked Elle.

"You promised to keep Clarissa and Diana a secret, and you don't tease me like Morgan does," said Spencer.

"Then I'm honored to meet them," said Elle.

"Just so you know, Clarissa and I have a live-in nanny for Diana," said Spencer.

"Why a live-in nanny?" asked Elle.

"Clarissa's a pediatric nurse at Children's National. Aside from being on-call 24/7 too, one week a month Clarissa's required to work third shift so with my unpredictable hours we decided that a live-in nanny is the best option," said Spencer.

"Makes sense, and does Clarissa love being a nurse?" asked Elle.

"She loves being a nurse, and some of the patients have drawn pictures for me while I'll do monthly magic shows for the kids there," said Spencer.

"Aww," said Elle.

Spencer looked at Elle nervously, "Please don't be shocked at the size of the house I live in," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Elle.

"After my parents died, my aunt and uncle started a trust fund for me that I couldn't access until I turned 21," said Spencer before taking a death breath, "When aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon died, the money in that trust fund increased quite a bit because of putting the money from selling the house that I spent my teenage years in and the insurance money that I received into that trust fund since I was already residing in the dorms."

Elle looked at Spencer, "I know a few classmates blow off their trust funds on things that they don't even need, but you decided to be the responsible 24-year-old husband and father by making sure that you and your family have a safe place to live in while providing stable childcare for your daughter."

"My house has five bedrooms since Clarissa and I are planning on having more kids in the future," said Spencer.

Xxx

A few minutes later Spencer was putting his gun in the safe just as he smiled at the sound of his daughter running towards the foyer.

"Daddy!" shouted Diana as she ran into her daddy's legs.

Elle smiled when she watched Spencer swoop up his little girl and blow a raspberry on her belly before kissing the giggling toddler on the cheek before a wide-eyed Diana stared at Elle.

"Daddy?" asked Diana before burying her face into her daddy's neck.

"Diana, I would like to introduce you to my friend Elle," said Spencer.

"Hi there sweetie," said Elle as she smiled at the little girl.

"Hi," said Diana before burying her head in her daddy's neck.

"She's adorable, Reid," said Elle.

Spencer led Elle into the kitchen where Clarissa and Lucy were making dinner together, "Hey," said Spencer as he made his way to Clarissa and pecked her on the lips.

"Hey yourself," said Clarissa causing Elle to realize that Clarissa spoke with a southern accent.

Spencer looked at Elle as he set Diana onto the floor, "Elle, I would like you to introduce you to my wife Clarissa and our live-in nanny, cook, and housekeeper Lucy Robinson."

Elle looked at Clarissa and noticed that she was wearing jeans, a t-shirt that didn't show any cleavage, had her long dark hair pulled into a messy ponytail, and wore glasses.

"Spencer has told me quite a bit about you Elle," said Clarissa as she shook hands with Elle before looking at her husband, "There are about 20 minutes before dinner will be done, so you have enough time to change out of your work clothes."

"I will be back soon," said Spencer as he gave his wife another peck on the cheek before leaving the room to head upstairs when Elle felt a small hand tug her on hand.

"Pwease pway wit me," said Diana as she showed Elle the doll that her uncle Aaron got for her.

Elle smiled at Diana, "I will be glad to play with you, Diana."

"Up pwease," said Diana.

Elle scooped up Diana and after Clarissa told her where the living room, as she played with Diana for eight minutes before she heard a familiar voice.

"Are you showing off the doll that uncle Aaron and aunt Haley gave you on my birthday?" asked Spencer as he joined his daughter and Elle on the floor.

Diana nodded as her curly brown pigtails bounced, "Yes, daddy."

Elle took in the appearance of her youngest coworker and her eyes widened when she saw Spencer wearing broken-in jeans that fit him, an M.I.T. t-shirt, wore his glasses instead of his contact lenses, and had his wedding band on his left ring finger.

"You are a different person outside of work," said Elle as she saw a white cat jump onto Spencer's lap, causing her to think about Morgan telling her that dogs hate Spencer.

"When it comes to spending most of my life with kids and adults much older than me, I always had to act older than my actual age," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "But when I'm home I'm able to act my actual age while focusing on my duties as a husband and father," said Spencer as he ran a hand through Diana's curly brown hair.

"True," said Elle just as Clarissa came into the living room.

"Dinner is done," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer was putting his daughter in her high chair, and while eating Spencer and Clarissa ended up telling Elle funny stories as they ate dinner.

Xxxx

After dinner was cleaned up, Spencer walked Elle outside when Elle looked at her friend, "Clarissa's a good influence on you," said Elle.

"I know," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "I can't wait for my nephew to be born since Clarissa and I are already spoiling him rotten since Hotch and Haley both love spoiling Diana."

"Well I should head home," said Elle.

"Thanks for joining us for dinner, and please text me when you get home to let me know that you made it safely," said Spencer.

"I promise, and I won't tell JJ, Morgan, and Garcia that I was at your house for dinner," said Elle.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

A minute later Elle was pulling out of the driveway, and when he was in the middle of bathing his daughter he got a text from Elle.

I MADE IT HOME SAFELY, AND I WILL SEE YOU AT WORK TOMORROW. ~ EG


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though I have Spencer being a better shot in this universe, he did struggle with the last firearms qualification so you readers will find out why while getting to witness how scary Clarissa can be when she's angry (She doesn't hit Spencer except for the playful slaps to his chest, but when her brothers make her angry she's not afraid to smack them if she thinks that they deserve it).
> 
> This chapter starts on October 24th of 2005, so Diana's now 22 months old. I'm sorry that there's no Diana in this chapter, but I promise that she will be in the next chapter since her cousin Jack Hotchner will make his first appearance.

Spencer shot his Glock and grimaced when he saw that he didn't hit the target.

Hotch who was standing behind his brother-in-law spoke up, "On SWAT, we broke shots down into three steps. One-front sight. Focus on the front sight, not on the target. Two- controlled trigger press. Three- follow through. After the shot, you come right back to the target. Now, what did you do wrong?" asked Hotch.

Spencer sighed, "I didn't follow through."

Hotch nodded as he wondered about what happened that would make Spencer have problems hitting the target, "Right. You came off the target to see where you hit."

Spencer looked at his brother-in-law, "Hotch, my firearms qualification is tomorrow morning," said Spencer as he set down his gun and removed his earmuffs, "I barely passed my last one."

Hotch placed a hand on his brother in law's shoulder and gently moved him aside, causing Spencer to put his earmuffs back on, "Front sight, trigger press..." said Hotch as he shot his gun, "Follow through. You do those three things, you'll hit your target every time." said Hotch as he holstered his gun and stepped away so Spencer could try again.

A few seconds later Spencer shot his Glock again and groaned when he saw that the bullet hit the target's groin, causing Hotch to smirk as he thought about Elle telling him about the trip she had with Spencer to the firing range, "Did Elle teach you that?" asked Hotch.

Spencer groaned, "They're gonna take away my gun."

Hotch instantly knew that he needed to calm his brother-in-law down, "A profiler is not required to carry."

"Yeah? And yet you carry 2 of them," said Spencer as he gestured to Hotch's ankle.

Hotch bent down, grabbed his ankle piece and fired it a few times before removing his earmuffs, "When I joined the BAU, Gideon said to me, "you don't have to carry a gun to kill someone."

"I don't get it," said Spencer softly.

"You will. Good luck tomorrow," said Hotch as he clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder before walking away.

Spencer put his earmuffs back on, and less than a minute later Spencer was firing his Glock again before noticing how blurry his vision was, Maybe it must be my eyes," said Spencer to himself.

Xxxx

Later on that night, Spencer looked at his wife as they got ready for bed, "When I was at the firing range with your brother this afternoon, I noticed that my vision was a bit blurry through my contacts." said Spencer.

Clarissa pulled on one of her husband's M.I.T. t-shirts, "You don't see Dr. Ryan until next week, but I will call and see if they can bump up your appointment to Friday."

Spencer sighed, "I just know that I'm going to fail tomorrow since I barely passed my last one."

"I don't care if you fail because I will always love you whether you pass or fail," said Clarissa as she gently kissed her husband on the lips.

Spencer started to remove Clarissa's t-shirt, but Clarissa stopped her husband.

"I rather wait since you should be well rested for tomorrow morning," said Clarissa.

Spencer shook his head as he gently kissed her on the lips, and a few minutes later they were in bed in each other's arms as they talked about their day and Diana before falling asleep.

Xxxx

The next morning Agent Foster looked at Spencer as he looked at Spencer's past scores, "I'm sorry to say that you failed, but I'm wondering what happened to your aim since you scored a near-perfect score a year ago, and you barely passed six months ago before failing today," said Agent Foster.

"Yesterday I noticed that my vision was a bit blurry, and I'm supposed to have my yearly vision exam next week," said Spencer.

"Have you considered seeing if you can bump up your appointment?" asked Agent Foster.

"I called the clinic before coming here, and they got me in for Friday afternoon," said Spencer.

"Well hopefully when you come back in two weeks, your updated prescription will help your scores get back to like they were," said Agent Foster.

"I hope so too," said Spencer before looking at his watch, "I have to head back to the BAU."

Spencer exited the shooting range to find his brother-in-law, "I failed and I ended up bumping up my yearly vision exam to this Friday." said Spencer as he explained how he noticed that his vision was a bit blurry through his contacts while making sure to tell Hotch that he thinks that it's his vision that made his fail.

"That could be a reason, and I will make sure that you don't miss that appointment," said Hotch.

Xxxx

The next night Spencer was sitting on the back of an ambulance with his arms crossed when his brother-in-law approached him.

"You all right?" asked Hotch.

Spencer crossed his arms and whispered, "Yeah."

Hotch mimicked Spencer's stance by crossing his arms, "Nice shot."

Spencer decided to make a joke, "I was aiming for his leg."

Hotch smiled slightly at Spencer's joke, "I wouldn't have kept kicking, but I was afraid you didn't get my plans."

Spencer looked into his brother-in-law's eyes, "I got your plan the minute you moved the hostages out of my line of fire."

"Well, I hope I didn't hurt you too badly," said Hotch.

"Hotch, I was a 12-year-old child prodigy in a Las Vegas public high school. You kick like a nine-year-old girl," smiled Spencer.

Hotch smiled and chuckled at Spencer's joke before Spencer reached for Hotch's gun and held it out to him.

Hotch pushed the gun back, "No. Keep it.," said Hotch as he patted Spencer on the shoulder and was thankful when Spencer didn't flinch, "As far as I'm concerned, you passed your qualification," said Hotch before walking away as he thought about the phone call he was going to be making to Agent Foster.

Spencer looked at the gun for a moment then placed it in his pocket before getting up to head to an SUV when Morgan approached him, making him grab the whistle from his pocket.

"Reid, you all right?" asked Morgan.

Spencer tossed the whistle to Morgan as he continued to walk away as Morgan looked back at him.

"Touche, kid," said Morgan.

Xxxx

Over an hour later Spencer was looking out the jet's window as he thought about having to face his two girls as he thought about his first kill shot as Gideon sat down across from him.

"How you doing?" asked Gideon as he thought about the phone call he had with Clarissa telling her what she should possibly expect.

"You were right. You don't need a gun to kill somebody," said Spencer.

Gideon shook his head, "No, you don't."

"But it helps," said Spencer.

Gideon nodded, "Yes. It does."

Spencer thought about it being his first kill show and he wished that his uncle was there to help him through it, "I- I know I should feel bad about...what happened. I mean... I killed a man. You know, I-I should...feel something. But I don't."

"Well, not knowing what you're feeling. That's not the same as not feeling anything. This is gonna hit you... And when it does... There are only three facts you need to know," said Gideon causing Spencer to lean forward, "You did what you had to do... And a lot of good people are alive because of what you did."

"What's the third?" asked Spencer.

"I'm proud of you, and you know that your uncle would be proud of you too," said Gideon.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer stepped into Hotch's office to see Hotch packing up, "Here's my report," said Spencer as he handed Hotch the file.

"Let me drive you home," said Hotch.

Xxx

10 minutes later Spencer was in the front passenger seat of Hotch's car, and Hotch looked at his brother in law, "I overheard you and Gideon on the jet, and I agree with what he said," said Hotch.

"I know, but at least Clarissa's going to help me get through doing my first kill shot," said Spencer as his phone vibrated and he shook his head at Clarissa's text message.

JASON TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED, SO EXPECT ME TO TEND TO YOUR INJURIES. PLEASE BRING AARON INSIDE BECAUSE I HAVE A FEW CHOICE WORDS FOR HIM SINCE JASON TOLD ME WHAT MY BROTHER DID TO YOU. ~ CR

Spencer slightly smirked at his brother-in-law, "Your sister's angry at you right now and wants to see you. We both know how scary she gets when she's angry."

"I figured she would be angry since I had to kick my brother-in-law," said Hotch.

"You did what you had to do to get us and other patients out there alive, and despite having it bad in high school until uncle Gordon took action, I know that all the bullying I went through helped me gain a thicker skin," said Spencer.

Xxxx

Over an hour later Spencer, Hotch, and Clarissa were in the Reid family living room with Clarissa holding an ice pack to Spencer's face.

"Shirt off now, and while I give you a once over I want you to tell me everything that was said in the ER while holding this ice pack to your face," ordered Clarissa before glaring at her brother, "You stay put because I will deal with you after I tend to my husband," ordered Clarissa before she glared at her husband to follow her orders as she snapped on hospital grade latex-free gloves.

As soon as Spencer had his sweater vest and dress shirt off, Hotch visibly winced when he saw the bruises that were already forming on Spencer's abdomen and listened to his brother-in-law tell his sister everything while Clarissa used her nursing skills to check for internal bleeding and broken ribs.

When Clarissa was done she looked at her husband, "You can put your shirt back on," said Clarissa.

"So what's the prognosis?" asked Spencer.

"No internal bleeding, and luckily my brother avoided your ribs," said Clarissa before kissing her husband's forehead, "To help with the soreness you're going to be dealing with, go upstairs and get an Epsom salt bath ready, and as soon as I'm done dealing with my brother, I will be joining you upstairs."

"Yes ma'am," said Spencer as he got up and headed upstairs.

As soon as Clarissa heard the master bedroom door shut, she looked at her brother as she gave him a rare slap to the face before giving her oldest brother her 'Hotchner glare', "I don't care if you did what you had to do to save both of your asses along with everyone else in the ER, but with what you said and did to my husband, I don't ever want you to do that again since we both know how rough high school was for Spence until his uncle took action."

"I promise," said Hotch before looking at Clarissa, "Spencer has the rest of the week off, and Gideon and I told them to leave Spencer be since he's staying with his godparents."

"Good to know," said Clarissa before smiling at her brother, "You should go check on Haley. I told her about what you did to Spencer, so be prepared for the tongue lashing that she's going to give you since she practically adopted Spencer." said Clarissa as she kissed her brother on the cheek.

A few minutes later Hotch was pulling out of the driveway while Clarissa was joining her husband in their clawfoot bathtub where they took an Epsom salt bath together before heading to bed themselves.

Xxxx

Two hours later Clarissa woke up to vomiting in the bathroom, causing her to join her husband in the bathroom and rubbed his back before she hugged him as he sobbed.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer was picking out a new pair of glasses for the stronger prescription that was prescribed.

Xxxx

The next afternoon Spencer was at a firing range in DC firing his revolver at a target, and when he saw his results he smiled when he saw that his vision was a huge reason why he failed and how Hotch's advice helped him out.


	22. Chapter 22

Spencer and Clarissa entered Haley's hospital room with Diana on Spencer's hip.

"How are you feeling, Haley?" asked Clarissa as she grinned at the sight of her nephew in her sister-in-law's arms.

"I'm glad that I'm no longer pregnant, and please set Diana beside me," said Haley.

Spencer settled his daughter next to Haley in bed.

A minute later Clarissa smiled down at her nephew in her arms, "Jack's beautiful."

Spencer smiled at his wide awake nephew, "He is, but be prepared for a comment that will shock you when you bring him to the BAU."

Haley snorted, "I'll be waiting for that comment, but how about you take a turn to hold your nephew."

Spencer gently took his nephew from his wife and smiled at the baby boy who was staring at him while thinking back to when Diana was born, "Hey there, Jack. I'm your uncle Spencer. Along with your daddy, you won't be seeing me every day since your daddy is my boss, but you will have a lot of fun with your auntie Clarissa and your cousin Diana who's over 22 months older than you. When you're older, you will have lots of adventures with your cousin and me," said Spencer as he looked from the corner of his eye and saw tears streaming down Haley's and Clarissa's faces.

Haley looked at her sister-in-law, "Your husband is so sweet."

"His kisses always taste like sugar," said Clarissa as she smirked at her husband who was gently passing his nephew back to his mother.

Hotch entered his wife's hospital room with coffee for himself.

Clarissa hugged her oldest brother, "Congrats big brother, and be prepared for Jack to be spoiled by Spencer and I since you spoiled Diana." said Clarissa as she watched her husband scoop up their sleeping daughter.

Xxxxx

A week later Spencer was looking at his one-week-old nephew as he saw the wink that Haley gave him when JJ and Garcia weren't looking.

JJ looked at Jack and wondered how the baby that she and Spencer could have together if Spencer ever returned her feelings towards him, "He's so gorgeous."

"Thank you," smiled Haley as she saw her sister-in-law's husband, working hard to stay neutral at the sight of his nephew in his brother in law's arms.

Spencer looked at his nephew as he thought about the full head of hair that Diana was born with and awkwardly stated, "If you find baldness and wrinkles attractive."

Garcia lightly slapped Spencer's chest, "Look at his little itty bitty nose," cooed Garcia before looking at Morgan who was approaching them, "Don't you want one of these?"

"Mm. I'll stick to practicing," said Morgan, causing some chuckles.

Elle approached them, causing her to think about little Diana and how their current case was going to affect both Spencer and Hotch since they were parents, "Congratulations."

"Thanks," said Hotch.

"Thank you," said Haley.

Hotch smiled at his wife, "She's amazing. I'm a little terrified," said Hotch as he noticed that Spencer was working so hard to not take his nephew from him.

"Well, uh, we should get going," said Haley.

Spencer smiled at his sister-in-law, "Pleasure seeing you, Mrs. Hotchner," said Spencer as he thought about the possibility of Haley putting him on diaper duty for his comment about his nephew and calling her Mrs. Hotchner.

"Bye-bye," said Haley as she started to mentally think about how she could get back at the man who married her sister-in-law.

Xxxx

After briefing was over, Spencer was in his brother-in-law's office sending Clarissa a text message.

I HAVE A LOCAL CASE, AND I NEED DIANA TO SLEEP WITH US WHEN I COME HOME. ~ SR

Xxxx

After leaving the interrogation room, Elle looked at Spencer, "Interesting interrogation technique. What did you hope to accomplish?" asked Elle as she thought about Spencer's interrogation making Eric Miller cry.

"Well, he was closed off, defensive, hostile. I needed a way in. He's suffered a breakdown but I don't think he killed his family and I know he still loved his wife," said Spencer as he thought about the wedding band that was on a chain around his neck.

"Why do you say that?" asked Hotch.

"Even though they were divorced, he still wore the wedding ring," said Spencer and looked around his surroundings before looking at his brother in law and whispered, "You do know that your sister is going to never let you live it down when I tell her that I was asked if you were my daddy."

Elle, who heard what Spencer told Hotch, burst out laughing as she realized that she was seeing the side of Spencer that Clarissa brought out.

Xxxx

A few hours later, Spencer entered the house to hear Clarissa shouting and the sound of Diana giggling upstairs.

"GET BACK HERE, DIANA!" shouted Clarissa.

Spencer quickly put his gun into the safe, rushed upstairs and held back his laughter when he saw Clarissa running after his laughing 22-month-old daughter who was streaking upstairs, "Someone didn't want you to give her a bath?" asked Spencer.

Diana stopped running when she saw her daddy standing by the baby gate that was at the top of the stairs and squealed, "Daddy!"

Spencer took down the baby gate and after putting the gate back up, he was scooping up his naked daughter before looking at his wife, "You go relax while I give our little streaker her bath," said Spencer as he carried his daughter to the bathroom.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "You do know that Haley's going to get you for bringing up baldness and wrinkles while calling her Mrs. Hotchner at the BAU."

Spencer grinned at his wife, "I know, and I bet the worse she will do is have me on diaper duty for Jack," said Spencer.

"Ack?" asked Diana as she looked around for her cousin.

"He's at uncle Aaron's and aunt Haley's right now baby girl, and this weekend it's been planned that we have dinner with them," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "Go give Diana her bath, and I will work on heating up leftovers for you."

A few minutes later Spencer was filling up the bathtub, and a few minutes later Diana was happily playing with her toys in the tub before her daddy focused on getting her clean.

Xxxx

Later on that evening, Spencer and Clarissa were cuddling in bed when Spencer looked at his wife, "One of the suspects asked Hotch if he was my daddy," said Spencer.

Clarissa burst out laughing, "Since there are times that Aaron was asked if he was my father, I'm never going to let Aaron live that down."

Spencer laughed, "Me too."

Clarissa looked at her husband, "Aside from knowing that you're working a case that deals with kids, Aaron told me about you making a man much larger than you cry."

"He did?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa nodded, "Even though you don't look scary at all, I wish that I was there since I find you making an intimating man cry really sexy."

Spencer pulled his wife into a kiss that caused them to undress each other.

Xxxx

After their unsub Karl Arnold was arrested, Spencer looked sadly at the wedding bands that Gideon dumped onto the conference room table, making everyone realize that there were victims that they didn't know of.

Xxxx

After Spencer completed his paperwork he was in Hotch's car when Spencer looked down at his phone and saw a new text message from Clarissa.

DIANA AND I ARE WITH HALEY AND JACK RIGHT NOW AT MY BROTHER'S HOUSE, SO COME OVER TO AARON'S INSTEAD OF GOING STRAIGHT HOME. ~ CR

"Clarissa said that we need to go to your house since she and Diana are there right now," said Spencer.

"OK," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his brother-in-law, "At least Karl Arnold is off the streets, and he will be no longer killing any families."

"I know, but I wish that we had a chance to know about the six other families that got killed before we were called in about the Millers and the Crawfords," said Hotch.

"I understand, and I'm planning on keeping Diana close to me tonight," said Spencer.

"I'm thinking about doing the same with Jack," said Hotch.

Xxxx

Spencer grinned when he scooped up his daughter and kissed her on the cheek, "Have you been a good girl today?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded as her shoulder-length brown curls bounced, "Yes."

Hotch took his niece from Spencer, "Hey there, Diana," said Hotch as he hugged his niece before kissing Diana on the cheek.

"Hi unca Aaron," said Diana.

Haley came down the stairs with Jack, just as Clarissa, who was still in her uniform entered the living room.

"Dinner will be done in 10 minutes," said Clarissa as she made her way over to her husband and pecked him on the lips before kissing her oldest brother on the cheek.

Haley looked at Spencer, "Due to what you said about your nephew at the BAU and calling me Mrs. Hotchner, you're on diaper duty this evening until you, Clarissa, and Diana go home."

Spencer rolled his eyes before sticking out his tongue at Haley, causing a laughing Clarissa to lightly slap her husband on the chest before Spencer playfully pulled her ponytail.

"You two play nice," said Hotch.

Spencer and Clarissa looked at each other as they thought about the conversation they had the night before, "Yes daddy," said Spencer and Clarissa in unison.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I wasn't planning on doing Derailed, but with Spencer's adoptive aunt Elena and having Spencer deal with the wrath of Clarissa (Hotch would tell his sister about what Spencer did, but Clarissa would never smack her husband), I decided on doing Derailed since I decided that Spencer should tell Elle, JJ, and Morgan about his adoptive aunt.
> 
> Little Diana's now 23 months old!

Clarissa looked at her husband, "I have our bags packed for New Haven, so as soon as we get off of work on Wednesday we're hitting the road," said Clarissa.

"OK," said Spencer before looking at his wife, "Are you OK with us missing our nephew's first Thanksgiving since we accepted the invitation to spend it with uncle Gordon's former squad?"

"It's the fifth anniversary of your aunt and uncle's deaths, and you were requested to cut the ribbon around the memorial bench that's been placed for your uncle," said Clarissa.

"Are you also OK with us celebrating the fifth anniversary of the day we met and our third wedding anniversary a couple of days early?" asked Spencer.

"I start working third shift next week Sunday, so I thought that we should celebrate during our long weekend," said Clarissa.

Diana looked at her nanny who was cutting up a pancake for her, "You go wit?" asked Diana.

"I'm coming with you three because we get to spend time together while mommy and daddy celebrate their anniversary," said Lucy before adding another cranberry pancake to Spencer's and Clarissa's plates, "Eat up, kids."

"Yay," said Diana as she clapped her hands, causing maple syrup covered hands to stick together, "I ticky," said Diana as she made a disgusted face, causing all three adults to laugh.

Spencer got up and grabbed a wipe and started cleaning up the 23-month-old toddler's hands, "Then let's get your hands cleaned up, but next time please use your fork," said Spencer as he made sure that Diana's hands were clean before handing his daughter her training fork.

Xxxx

An hour and a half later Morgan looked at Spencer who was working on their consults, "So what plans do you have for Thanksgiving this year?" asked Morgan.

"I'm going to New Haven like I always do, and this Monday will be the fifth anniversary of aunt Ethel's and uncle Gordon's deaths," said Spencer.

"I'm sorry, man," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at the man who became a big brother to him, "Thanksgiving is always one of the days that I miss them because Thanksgiving was the last holiday I spent with them since they died five days later," said Spencer as he looked at the picture of him, aunt, Ethel, and uncle Gordon that was taken during their last Thanksgiving together.

Spencer was firing a quick text to Clarissa as he made a quick stop in the restroom before heading to the jet.

HEADING TO TEXAS FOR A HOSTAGE SITUATION ON THE TRAIN, SO IF EVERYTHING GETS RESOLVED IN A GOOD WAY QUICKLY WE CAN STILL MAKE IT TO NEW HAVEN FOR THANKSGIVING ON WEDNESDAY. ~ SR

Xxxxxx

Later on that afternoon, Spencer was sitting on an open trunk of a car with a bandaged up Elle trying to convince her to go to the hospital when Gideon approached him.

"Gideon, will you tell him that I don't need to go to the hospital?" asked Elle.

"Regulations are regulations. You're all right?" asked Gideon.

"Yeah, I'm fine, dad," said Elle.

Gideon shook his head before looking at Elle, "Elle?" asked Gideon.

"Yeah?" asked Elle.

"Don't ever call me dad again," said Gideon before walking away.

Elle looked at Spencer and thought about the father/son relationship that Spencer had with Gideon while Spencer started to call his brother-in-law 'dad' since his solo interrogation with Eric Miller when they weren't working on a case, "What do you think he'd feel about mom?" asked Elle.

"Let me know when you're going to do that, so I can run," joked Spencer.

"Um, Reid, you probably saved my life in there," said Elle.

"Probably? I totally saved your life," laughed Spencer, causing Elle to laugh before grinning, "And I'm pretty certain that it was caught on tape."

"You know, what you said in there to Bryar? That you know what it's like?" asked Elle.

Spencer looked around his surroundings before looking at Elle when he decided to trust her with what he was going to tell her before he pulled a picture out of his wallet and showed a picture of him and aunt Ethel with aunt Elena on the grounds of Bennington Sanitarium, "Aunt Ethel has a surviving sister who is institutionalized in Las Vegas for paranoid schizophrenia, and there were times that I had to play into my adoptive aunt's delusions to save myself if she was getting violent before she got committed when I was 10," said Spencer before smiling sightly, "Uncle Gordon used to joke that I would be a good hostage negotiator when he entered the house to see me talking aunt Elena out of trying to stab herself."

Elle thought about everything that Spencer has gone through in his short life, "So you have another reason why you joined the FBI."

Spencer nodded as he patted Elle on the knee, "Go to the hospital. I'll see you there, all right?" asked Spencer as he placed his hands into his pocket and walked away and a few seconds later he felt his personal cellphone vibrate, causing him to look at his phone to see a text from Clarissa.

AARON JUST TEXTED ME TO TELL ME WHAT YOU DID WHILE I SAW YOU ENTERING THAT TRAIN ON THE NEWS. WHEN YOU COME HOME TONIGHT BE PREPARED FOR MY RIOT ACT BEFORE WE HIT THE ROAD. ~ CR

Spencer shook his head before deleting the text and pocketed his phone just before a reporter hounded him, causing him to answer questions.

Xxxxx

A couple of hours later Spencer was flying home with his teammates when Morgan looked at Spencer who was sitting next to Elle as he connected Garcia to video chat with them on the laptop, "I told you not to take your vest off kid," said Morgan before looking at Hotch and Gideon, "Why haven't you two lectured him about taking off his vest?"

Spencer looked at Hotch and Gideon who gave him reassuring nods since they knew about his adoptive aunt before he looked at Morgan and JJ, "I have experience with talking down paranoid schizophrenics because aunt Ethel had a sister who's still alive. After the last time I had to talk her down from trying to commit suicide, aunt Ethel had to choose to institutionalize her for my safety," said Spencer as he heard Garcia gasp.

"Where is she institutionalized?" asked Morgan.

"Las Vegas, and despite not being a blood relative I make sure that I can visit her whenever I can since I know that aunt Ethel would be proud of me for not abandoning her sister," said Spencer.

"She would be, Reid," said Garcia.

"So you went to visit her after your first case in Vegas?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded, "I did visit her before visiting my parents' graves," said Spencer before he decided to pull a quarter out of his pocket and do a few sleight of hand tricks.

Morgan realized that Spencer was getting uncomfortable causing him to change the subject, "So how did you learn those sleights of hand tricks?" asked Morgan.

Spencer smiled slightly, "Uncle Gordon loved doing magic tricks to calm down child victims, and after he took me to my first magic show, I begged him to teach me magic tricks so he ended up getting me my first magic trick for my fifth birthday." said Spencer as he pulled a quarter out of Elle's ear, causing some laughter.

Xxxx

An hour and a half later, Hotch looked at Spencer as he pulled into the driveway, "Text me to let me know that you're still alive after my sister yells at you." said Hotch.

"I promise, and as soon as Clarissa, Diana, Lucy, and I make it to New Haven I will call you," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "Please tell Sean that I'm sorry that Clarissa and I are spending Thanksgiving in New Haven again, but with it being the five year anniversary I can't turn down uncle Gordon's former boss's offer."

"Haley, Sean, and I all understand, and you and Clarissa deserve to celebrate the fifth anniversary of your first meeting in New Haven," said Hotch.

"We're celebrating our anniversary this weekend because Sunday night, Clarissa's working third shift all of next week," said Spencer before unbuckling himself.

A minute later Spencer was putting his gun into the safe, and as soon as he entered the living room, he saw Clarissa sitting on the couch.

Clarissa gave her husband her 'Hotchner glare', "I can't believe that you would take off your vest," said Clarissa as she started yelling at her husband about what could have happened to him while being afraid to lose him.

As soon as Clarissa was done lecturing her husband, Spencer looked at his wife, "I'm sorry, but I had to listen to Dr. Bryar before he would kill everyone on that train," said Spencer before looking at the clock and saw that it was 8 PM, "Where's Diana?"

"Lucy's upstairs giving her her bath before we hit the road, and I already put our bags into the SUV. So after you take a shower and change, we're hitting the road," said Clarissa just as Lucy came down the stairs with a pajama-clad Diana on her hip.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Diana.

A minute later Spencer was hugging and kissing Diana, and a few minutes later he was taking a quick shower before he, Clarissa, Lucy, and Diana piled into Clarissa's SUV for their over five-hour long drive to New Haven


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When it comes to Spencer being married to his unit chief's baby sister, you guys can probably imagine Hotch finding out about Spencer's nightmares before Morgan approaches him since Clarissa's very close to her oldest brother who will act like her oldest brother and a father to her.
> 
> I realized that I need to cast a child actress as Diana Ethel Reid, so I cast Isabelle Allen from "Les Miserables" as Diana Ethel Reid.

Spencer and Clarissa looked at Diana, "We will see you tomorrow, baby girl." said Spencer as he saddened at the thought about his daughter turning two in less than a month.

"You go bye-bye?" asked Diana as she took in the sight of her parents dressed up.

"Daddy and I are celebrating our fifth anniversary of friendship and our third wedding anniversary," said Clarissa.

"OK mommy," said Diana.

Xxxx

The waitress smiled at the young couple who was sitting at a table that contained a vase that held five yellow roses and three red roses, "What's with those roses?" asked the waitress.

"We're celebrating our fifth anniversary of the day we became friends and our third wedding anniversary a bit early since I work third shift on the day of our anniversary and my husband might be out of town for work," said Clarissa.

"When's your anniversary?" asked the waitress.

"November 30th of 2000 was the day we met, and we married two years later on November 30th," said Clarissa.

"Always romantic to marry on the day you met," said the waitress.

"We know," smiled Spencer.

Xxxx

As soon as they entered their hotel room, Spencer looked at his best friend and wife, "We might as well open our anniversary gifts," said Spencer as he thought about how he grabbed his anniversary gifts for Clarissa before they hit the road.

"We should because I have plans for you, Dr. Reid," said Clarissa as she grabbed the gifts from an additional suitcase that she hidden.

"Really Nurse Reid?" asked Spencer as he grabbed his gifts from the suitcase he hid.

A minute later Spencer was smiling over his new wooden watch that had a leather wrist band.

"I thought that I would combine your leather and wooden gift," said Clarissa.

"It's perfect," said Spencer as he kissed his wife before passing her a wrapped up gift.

A minute later Clarissa was smiling over new leather boots, "How did you know that I wanted to get these?" asked Clarissa.

"Haley told me that you wanted these," said Spencer before he watched Clarissa open up her second gift.

Clarissa gasped when she saw a copy of the picture that her brother insisted on taking of her and Spencer together at the diner where they joined her brother painted onto a block of wood, "Our very first picture of us together."

A few seconds later Spencer and Clarissa were undressing themselves before falling onto their hotel bed.

Xxxx

Two nights later at midnight, Spencer woke up gasping and covered in sweat, and a few minutes later he was stripping the sweat-soaked sheets and putting on new sheets before taking a shower.

Xxxx

After drying his hair completely, Spencer heard coughing and sniffling from the baby monitor causing him to head to Diana's nursery where she was awake.

"What's wrong baby girl?" asked Spencer as he lowered the crib and scooped up his baby girl.

"I sicky," said Diana as she clutched her ears.

Spencer kissed Diana's forehead and noticed that she was warm, "Well let's go take your temperature before I start making you all better."

A few minutes later Spencer grimaced when he saw that Diana had a slight fever of 99 degrees while she continued to clutch her ears, causing Spencer to look at Diana's ears and grimace at the discharge, "Let me get dressed so I can take you to mommy so you can get your ears checked out."

"OK daddy," said Diana.

A few minutes later Spencer was calling Lucy to let her know that he was taking Diana to Children's National, and five minutes later he was taking a bundled up Diana to Children's National in Lucy's car.

Xxxx 

15 minutes later Spencer was carrying Diana into the entrance of the ER where Clarissa was already waiting for them.  
"Mommy," cried Diana.

"Lucy called me to tell me that you were on your way with Diana," said Clarissa before smiling sadly at her daughter as she thought about cold and flu season while being grateful that Diana already got her flu shot, "I hear that someone's not feeling good."

Diana coughed, "I sicky mommy."

"So let's go have my friend Bethany check you out," said Clarissa as she thought about the protocol of her not being allowed to care for her daughter when she's brought into Children's National.

A minute later Dr. Bethany Lawrence and nurse Tina were looking over Diana while Spencer and Clarissa held hands as they watched their crying daughter get checked over.

Xxxx

An hour later Spencer was leaving Children's National with Diana who was diagnosed with a cold and ear infection while carrying the antibiotics that he was given to give to Diana.

Xxxx

Over eight hours later Hotch was looking through the file that was sent to him as his cellphone rang and he smiled when he saw that it was Clarissa, "I thought that you were going to get some sleep?" asked Hotch.

"I am, but I need you to talk to Spencer because I'm worried about him," said Clarissa.

"I thought that he's dealing with the fifth anniversary of the deaths of his aunt and uncle fine?" asked Hotch.

"He handled the anniversary fine since we talk about it, but he's dealing with nightmares every night," said Clarissa before taking a deep breath, "Even though Spence had to show up at Children's National with Diana who has a cold and a double ear infection last night, I ended up finding out that he had to change our sheets while finding a wet towel in our bathroom for the third morning in a row making me realize that he's dealing with really bad nightmares. I know that I needed to ask you to talk to him because when he's home and I'm not working third shift he doesn't have nightmares as often as he is right now."

Hotch sighed as he thought about how much having an eidetic memory can affect Spencer while being glad that his sister and niece are there for Spencer to help him compartmentalize from their work, "Thank you for letting me know Clarissa and please give my niece some kisses from her uncle Aaron. I will find time to talk to him, but that talk is going to wait since we're heading to McAllister, Virginia." said Hotch before telling his sister that he loves her and promised to stay safe before hanging up.

A minute later Spencer was sending Clarissa a quick text.

GOING TO MCALLISTER, VIRGINIA. ~ SR

Xxxx 

Later on that night, Spencer and Gideon were the only ones awake on the plane when Gideon looked at Spencer as he pulled a picture out of his wallet, "Hey Reid," said Gideon.

Spencer looked at Gideon who was holding up a picture of a family, "Deborah Louise Addison. Her husband Tim. The kids are Amber and Keith. Eight and six. In 1985, Deborah Louise was walking home from school. She was abducted. She was 13. We profiled the unsub. And we were able to locate her before he harmed her. She writes a letter to the B.A.U. every year. She updates us on her life," said Gideon as he thought about how Spencer would try to get together with his uncle's former squad around the anniversary of his aunt and uncle's death so they know that he's doing OK.

"It's nice, but-" said Spencer.

"We all have bad dreams. Everyone on the plane. Who wouldn't? We hunt the worst of humanity we see the depths of depravity, we dream of monsters," said Gideon.

"In my dream, there's a baby in the middle of a circle and there's someone on the other side. And I can't get to her before-," said Spencer before becoming quiet.

Gideon held up the picture again, "Every night I look at Deborah, it helps me to go to sleep thinking of the victims we've saved. We don't always beat the monsters to the babies but we do enough to make the job worth it keep the nightmares bearable," said Gideon as he decided to take out the photo and pass it to Spencer who took it.

Spencer looked at Gideon, "The night my parents died, they sat me down and told me that I was going to be a big brother. Sometimes I wonder if that baby in the dream would have been my baby sister," said Spencer.

"It could have been," said Gideon.

At that moment Spencer decided to close his eyes.

Xxxx 

As soon as Spencer handed Hotch his paperwork, Hotch looked at Spencer, "Let me give you a ride home," said Hotch.

Xxxx

10 minutes Hotch looked at his brother-in-law who was in the front passenger seat of his car, "When Morgan confronted me about your nightmares, I was already planning on talking to you after our latest case since Clarissa told me that she knew that you were dealing with nightmares," said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "Don't be angry at my sister for telling me because she was thinking about your well being."

Spencer sighed, "I know."

Xxxxx

Spencer entered the master bedroom to see Clarissa in bed with Diana when Clarissa opened her eyes, "I was given tonight off to help take care of Diana since another nurse offered to fill in for me." said Clarissa.

"That's nice of her," said Spencer.

"We need to talk, Spencer," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were in the kitchen fixing themselves some tea, and Clarissa looked at her husband who was snacking on one of the cookies that Lucy made, "You know that I was in the car crash that killed my mom," said Clarissa as she wiped a tear, "when you're not home I deal with nightmares about that car crash."

"Really?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa nodded as she explained what her nightmares consist of before Spencer started telling Clarissa about his nightmare.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite Spencer and Clarissa getting married in Manassas, Virginia at Clarissa's childhood church, they joined a church in Washington DC so they don't have to spend over 100 minutes on the road every Sunday when they drive to and from church.

Friday Evening

Spencer hurriedly packed up his desk when Morgan looked at him, "Elle, JJ, Garcia, and I are going out to get a kick start to our weekend, and I was hoping that you would join us," said Morgan.

"I can't because I already made plans with some friends," said Spencer as he thought about the breakfast for dinner routine that he and Clarissa love to have on Friday evenings when he's home.

Elle smiled as she thought about Spencer telling her that every Friday is breakfast for dinner at home and with it being December they watch the '25 Days of Christmas's on TV, "Have fun."

"I will," said Spencer as he quickly pulled on his green and brown corduroy jacket before slinging his messenger bag around his shoulders just as Hotch who was in his winter jacket and had his briefcase came down the stairs.

"Want a ride so you don't have to take the train?" asked Hotch.

"Yes please," said Spencer before looking at Morgan and Elle, "Have a nice weekend guys and I will see you on Monday."

A minute later Spencer and Hotch were by the elevators when Garcia met up with them.

"You don't want to go out with JJ, Elle, my hot stuff, and me?" asked Garcia.

Spencer shook his head, "I already have plans that I can't cancel."

Xxxx

Spencer entered his house, and he smiled at how the decorations for Christmas were already up while smelling hash browns, breakfast sausage, pancakes, and scrambled eggs from the kitchen as he hung up his winter jacket, "Honey I'm home." called out Spencer as he put his gun into the gun safe before heading into the dining room where Diana was already in her high chair and Clarissa and Lucy were putting their dinner onto the dining room table.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Diana.

Spencer kissed Diana before kissing his wife.

"How was work?" asked Clarissa.

"Good, and I'm excited about having a fun weekend with my girls," smiled Spencer before giving Clarissa and Diana each a kiss before smiling at his wife, "You?" asked Spencer.

"I had a good day, and I was thinking that tomorrow we can go to Children's National so you can put on a magic show for the kids again," said Clarissa as she thought about how Spencer tries to do a monthly magic show for the kids.

"I would be glad to," smiled Spencer as he sat down.

A minute later Spencer, Clarissa, and Lucy were clasping their hands so Spencer could say Grace before they all started digging into their dinner.

"Haley was talking about us having a double date tomorrow night," said Clarissa as she added ketchup onto her shredded hash browns.

"She wants to get out of the house for a while?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Clarissa.

"So speaking of tonight, should we have a family movie night before bed?" asked Spencer.

"We should watch whatever Christmas specials that are showing on ABC Family tonight," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

After dinner was cleaned up, Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana were in the living room building a blanket fort and a fire lit in the fireplace before they settled down in their fort and watched "A Year Without a Santa Claus", and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and Diana was giggling as she listened to her parents sing along to the songs during both movies.

Xxx 

After the movies were over and Diana was given her nightly bath, Spencer and Clarissa smiled down at their sleeping daughter, "Daddy loves you so much baby girl," said Spencer as he kissed his nearly two-year-old daughter.

"Mommy loves you," said Clarissa as she kissed her daughter.

As soon as both parents stood up to their full heights, Spencer raised the guard rails on Diana's bed.

A few minutes later they were downstairs cleaning up Diana's toys.

"I just can't believe that my baby girl is turning two in 12 days," said Spencer sadly.

"Me too Spence," said Clarissa.

"I love it when you call me Spence, Clara," said Spencer.

"I love it when you decide to call me Clara," giggled Clarissa.

"You make me think of the American Red Cross's founder Clara Barton who's name was Clarissa," grinned Spencer as he put away the last blanket from the blanket fort that he and Clarissa ended up building.

Clarissa blushed before grinning wickedly at her husband, "How about you make sure that the house is secure while I get an early Christmas present for you," said Clarissa as she thought about one of the Christmas shopping trips that she went on with Haley.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was groaning when he saw Clarissa wearing Christmas themed lingerie while undressing him.

Xxxx

Saturday

Spencer and Clarissa entered the day room at Children's National with Diana on Spencer's hip, and Clarissa smiled when she saw a bunch of her patients in the day room along with a few other kids from the cancer ward, "I have a surprise for you guys," said Clarissa.

"Who are they?" asked seven-year-old Randy as he noticed a tall young man and a toddler.

"Randy, these two people are my husband Spencer who's a magician and our 23-month-old daughter Diana," said Clarissa as she introduced each child to Spencer.

"Really?" asked five-year-old Rose.

"I am," said Spencer as he set down his daughter and pulled a quarter out of Diana's ear causing the nearly two-year-old girl to giggle, "I thought that I did a good job cleaning behind your ears last night," said Spencer as he smiled at the kids' shock.

"Can you please show us more tricks?" asked a nine-year-old girl named Laura.

"I sure can sweetie, and I know a trick that everyone will love," said Spencer as he winked at his wife and pulled everything that he needed for his physics magic out of his messenger bag, "Please close your eyes."

"Why?" asked Randy.

"This magic trick will be my secret since one of the most important rules for a magician is to never reveal your secrets," said Spencer.

"OK," said Randy causing all the kids including Clarissa who was covering Diana's eyes.

Less than 20 seconds later he spoke up, "You guys can open your eyes now," said Spencer.

Randy noticed a film canister fizzing, "Nothing happening."

"Just watch," said Spencer as he used his evil scientist voice to cause Diana and a bunch of other kids to giggle.

10 seconds later all the kids were clapping and cheering when the film canister shot across the room.

Xxxx

Later on that evening Spencer and Clarissa entered the restaurant that Hotch and Haley were waiting for them at, and Clarissa grinned when she was hugging her oldest brother, "Hey," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, Hotch, and Haley had ordered their drinks and Hotch looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "So how was your evening yesterday and your day today?" asked Hotch.

"We ended up building a fort and a fire in the fireplace and watched Christmas specials on ABC Family last night. This morning we went to Children's National so I could put on my monthly magic show despite me having a bonus one being planned for the 23rd when we help out at the Christmas party for hospitalized children and their families," said Spencer.

"Did physics magic for the kids again?" asked Hotch as he thought about Spencer doing physics magic the day before when he got bored while thinking about the time that he and Haley ended up joining Spencer and Clarissa on a trip to Children's National to entertain the kids.

"Yep," said Spencer with a huge grin on his face.

"The kids loved it when one of Spencer's rockets ended up hitting one of the strictest nurse's forehead," said Clarissa causing some laughter.

Hotch looked at his baby sister, "I just can't believe that you will be 24-years-old next week Friday."

"Me too, but Spence and I are both sad that Diana will be turning two in 11 days," said Clarissa.

"Still going to church in the morning?" asked Haley.

"We are, and we're still planning on coming over for brunch tomorrow," said Clarissa as a waitress brought over their drinks and took their orders before Hotch and Haley updated Spencer and Clarissa on Jack.

Xxxx

30 minutes later all four adults were eating dinner while Hotch and Haley were laughing as Spencer and Clarissa told Hotch and Haley about their niece's antics.

Xxxx

Sunday Morning

Spencer and Clarissa smiled when they watched Diana play with one of the little girls that were Diana's age when Reverend Alden came over to them, "How are you guys doing?" asked Reverend Alden.

"Life's going good right now. We're excited about my birthday, Diana's birthday, and Christmas," said Clarissa.

"I can't believe that Diana's going to be two," said Reverend Alden as he smiled at Diana's giggles before looking at the young couple that joined his church when they settled down in DC.

"We neither," said Spencer.

"So if your home for Christmas, are you going to put a magic show on for the kids again during the fellowship hour?" asked Reverend Alden.

"I can never refuse giving a magic show for the kids here," said Spencer just as a few kids ran over begging him to do some magic tricks.

Xxx

The next morning Spencer sighed sadly as he sat down for breakfast, "Even though I had a great weekend, I'm sad that the weekend if over," said Spencer.

Clarissa thought about the action-packed weekend they had, "Me too, but we need to be in Agent Reid and Nurse Reid mode again until this evening."

"I know, but I can't wait to have December 23rd off and don't have to go back until January 3rd," said Spencer.

"Your lucky that you get all that time off when I have to go back to work after Christmas," grumbled Clarissa.

"Well I'm already planning on helping out at the New Year's Eve party that your planning for the kids," said Spencer as he thought about the possibility of kids having to spend New Year's in the hospital.

"I can't wait because I can already imagine kids saying eww when I pull you into a kiss," teased Clarissa.

"Well I can't wait," said Spencer before taking another sip of his coffee.

Xxxx

Later on that morning Spencer was sending Clarissa a quick text.

GOING TO HARRINGTONVILLE, TENNESSEE AND GIDEON'S STAYING BEHIND SINCE HE INJURED HIM ANKLE WHEN HE WENT SKYDIVING OVER THE WEEKEND CAUSING ME TO THINK ABOUT THE CRAZY STUFF YOU AND I ENDED UP DOING TOGETHER. ~ SR

Xxxx

As they were heading to the police station, Elle looked at Spencer, "Is there anything special Diana wants for Christmas and you, Clarissa, Hotch, Haley, and Lucy didn't get Diana yet?" asked Elle.

Spencer smiled as he started to tell Elle about all the Christmas gifts that were already bought for Diana before Elle gave him some ideas about what she could buy for Diana.

Xxxx

The next morning Spencer was getting dressed in his hotel room when he sent Clarissa a text message.

FLYING BACK TO QUANTICO THIS MORNING, SO I SHOULD BE HOME IN TIME FOR DINNER. ~ SR

A minute later his phone vibrated and he grinned at Clarissa's text.

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU, AND I HAVE PLANS FOR YOU, TONIGHT DOCTOR. ~ CR

Spencer chuckled, and after eating breakfast with his team they were flying back to Quantico.

Xxx

Spencer stepped out of the elevator with his teammates when Hotch decided that he needed to praise his teammates because of how irritated Garcia was with Gideon, "Good job. Nice work, everybody, by the way," said Hotch.

"Thank you. Now I get to go back to the 15 folders on my desk," said Elle as they headed into the bullpen.

Spencer looked at Elle in shock.

"Wait a minute. 15? I have 24," said Spencer.

Elle laughed, "That's 'cause I slipped you 4 of mine." said Elle causing Hotch and Morgan to smile.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"On Friday," said Elle.

"Yeah. Mm-hmm," said Spencer as he hurried to his desk.

A minute later Elle came over to Spencer and took 10 files from Spencer's desk just as Spencer's phone vibrated causing Spencer to see a text from Elle who was grinning at him.

SOMETIMES I FORGET THAT YOU HAVE A FAMILY TO GO HOME TO, SO I PROMISE THAT I WILL STOP PUTTING FILES THAT I WAS GIVEN TO DO ONTO YOUR PILE SINCE YOU DESERVE TO GO HOME AT A DECENT TIME. ~ EG

Spencer smiled at Elle as he deleted Elle's text message, "Thank you."

Morgan looked at Elle, "Why did you take files from Reid's pile?" asked Morgan.

"It's my early Christmas present for him," said Elle.

"What about taking folders from me?" asked Morgan.

Elle glared at Morgan as she thought about how she promised Clarissa to make Morgan's life a living hell after the whistle incident, "I'm not taking any from you because I am still mad at you for giving Reid that whistle."

Spencer chuckled as he started the consults on his desk.

Xxxx

Later on that evening Spencer got out of Hotch's car, and he grinned when he saw Diana standing by the window causing Hotch to wave at his niece who waved back as Spencer hurried into the house.

As soon as Spencer had his gun in the safe he was scooping up his baby girl and hugged and kissed her, "Daddy missed you so much baby girl," said Spencer as he carried his daughter to the kitchen and smiled when he saw Clarissa and Lucy putting baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables onto the dining room table.

"Dinner's done," said Clarissa as she made her way to her husband and kissed him.

A few minutes later Spencer was eating dinner with his wife, daughter, and Lucy.


	26. Chapter 26

At 6 AM on December 15th of 2005 Clarissa woke up to being given kisses from Diana, "What's up with these kisses, baby girl?" asked Clarissa.

The nearly two-year-old toddler grinned at her mother, "Happy birfday mommy."

"Thank you." said Clarissa before smelling breakfast, "Knowing daddy, he's surprising me with breakfast in bed."

Spencer entered the bedroom with a tray filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, orange juice, and coffee, "I am, and Diana and I haven't eaten yet so there's enough for all of us. Tomorrow we have our date night to celebrate your birthday and Saturday is yours and Diana's joint birthday dinner."

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing?" asked Clarissa.

"Going to out for dinner before we go to the movies to see "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" since we both want to see that movie," said Spencer.

Clarissa grinned at her husband, "I can't wait."

Diana quickly reached towards the plate and snatched a piece of bacon causing Spencer and Clarissa to laugh before they started focusing on their breakfast.

Xxxx

Two hours later Elle looked up at Spencer from her paperwork, "It's weird not seeing Morgan here," said Elle as she thought about how Morgan left for Chicago the day before and wasn't coming back until after New Year.

"Usually I take extra time off after Thanksgiving when it comes to the anniversary of aunt Ethel's and uncle Gordon's deaths," said Spencer just as JJ walked towards them.

Elle looked at JJ, "Since we're starting leave next week Wednesday for Christmas, what are you doing for Christmas JJ?" asked Elle.

"Going home to Pennsylvania to visit my mom. Knowing my mom, she'll be pestering me about finding a man to marry and give her another grandchild since my older brother already has a seven-year-old daughter," said JJ.

Garcia joined them, "I'm going to San Francisco to visit my brothers," said Garcia before looking at Spencer, "Are you going to go spend Christmas with your godparents or adopted aunt?" asked Garcia.

"Aunt Elena's medication got changed last week so I was advised to not visit during Christmas, and I don't feel like going to Kansas City this year," said Spencer.

Hotch who was walking past with his empty coffee cup looked at Spencer, JJ, Elle, and Garcia, "It has already been decided that Reid is spending Christmas with Haley, Jack, and me."

Xxxx

The next evening Hotch looked at Spencer who was pulling on his winter jacket, "Let me give you a ride home."

"Thanks," said Spencer before looking at Elle, "Have a nice weekend."

"You too Reid," said Elle.

Xxxx

10 minutes later Spencer and Hotch were heading to Washington DC when Hotch looked at his brother-in-law, "Are you ready for Clarissa's and Diana's joint birthday dinner tomorrow?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah, and I just can't believe that my little girl will be two in five days," sighed Spencer.

"Me neither and I can't believe that Jack's almost two months old," said Hotch.

"Clarissa and I don't regret the idea of celebrating Diana's birthday four days early this year due it being Christmas next weekend," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about how much shopping he and Haley did for Diana's birthday and Diana's third Christmas, "Diana's sure going to be spoiled when it comes to her birthday happening four days before Christmas."

"Clarissa and I both decided to spoil Diana this year since she's able to make more memories this year. Also, Clarissa and I decided that when Diana becomes a big sister, on her birthday she will get money and the rest of her presents will wait until Christmas," said Spencer.

"My family did the same thing for Clarissa to prevent Sean from getting jealous about Clarissa being spoiled during December," said Hotch.

"Clarissa was the one to come up with the idea because I asked her about how her birthday and Christmas were celebrated when it came to being born ten days before Christmas," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about his brother-in-law requesting to have his baby sister for Friday night while saving Clarissa's and Diana's joint birthday dinner for Saturday, "So what plans did you make for my sister and yourself tonight?" asked Hotch.

"We're going to one of our favorite diners for dinner. After dinner we're going to see "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" since we both read the book series as kids," said Spencer.

"I enjoyed the series when I was a child too," said Hotch before thinking about his sister loving to read more than his brother did, "At least Clarissa an avid reader just like you."

Xxxxx

Four and a half hours later Spencer and Clarissa exited the movie theater together as Spencer wrapped an arm around his wife he kissed his wife's head, "Did you enjoy the movie like I did?" asked Spencer before snatching a piece of popcorn that was leftover from the large popcorn that they bought to share.

"I loved it. When it released on DVD we will need to buy two copies so we have a copy to share with Diana when she's older while the other goes to Children's National so the kids can watch it," said Clarissa as she rested her head on Spencer's shoulder.

"I think its nice of you to buy DVDs to donate to Children's National," said Spencer as Clarissa's phone vibrated and she laughed at a text message from Lucy.

"Diana wants us home to tuck her in," said Clarissa.

"Let's go home because I have plans for you," said Spencer.

Xxxx

A half-hour later Spencer and Clarissa were giving Diana a goodnight kiss, and after picking up Diana's toys they were in their bedroom.

"What plans do you have for me?" asked Clarissa.

"What do you say about me giving you a massage before we have a bubble bath?" asked Spencer.

"Lovely idea Dr. Reid. You might also like the surprise that I have on that might make you want to skip the massage," smirked Clarissa as she thought about the surprise that she put on while waiting for Spencer to come home from work.

Spencer groaned as he started to feel his body react before he decided to focus on giving his wife that promised massage, "Well I will go grab your favorite lavender oil while you get ready," said Spencer as he walked towards the bathroom.

A few seconds later Clarissa was undressing herself before getting into position on their bed. When Spencer exited the bathroom he groaned at the lingerie that Clarissa was wearing before he started giving Clarissa her massage.

Xxx

The next day at the Reid family home, Sean looked at his little sister, "Happy belated birthday Clarissa," said Sean.

Clarissa hugged her 25-year-old brother, "Thank you, Sean."

"Where's my soon to be two-year-old niece?" asked Sean.

"Spencer took her upstairs to use the bathroom since we've been working on potty training her since September," said Clarissa just as Spencer came downstairs with Diana on his hip.

"There's my favorite niece," said Sean as he took in the little girl who was a perfect mixture of her parents.

"Diana's your only niece, Sean," said Spencer.

"So have you two started working on giving me another niece or nephew to spoil?" asked Sean as he took his niece from Spencer.

Spencer and Clarissa blushed before Clarissa slapped her Sean's chest before covering Diana's ears, "Instead of teasing Spencer and me about our sex lives, how about you find a girl to marry and start a family with so Spencer and I can have a niece or nephew to spoil?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer smirked at his wife, "Good one."

Diana looked out the back patio door before looking at her daddy, Pway in the snow?" asked Diana.

Spencer looked at his watch before looking at his daughter, "We have about an hour to play in the snow before auntie Haley and uncle Aaron get here," said Spencer as he took his daughter from Sean.

"I will join you guys," said Clarissa before looking at her brother, "What about you Sean?" asked Clarissa.

"I will join you guys," said Sean.

Lucy looked at Spencer, Clarissa, and Sean, "I will focus on making dinner, and as soon as you guys come in I will have hot chocolate ready."

"Thanks, Lucy," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later all three adults and Diana were being bundled up before going into the back yard to play in the snow.

Xxx

Two hours later Spencer, Clarissa, Hotch, Haley, Sean, Lucy, and Diana were around the dining room table while Jack slept in Diana's old bassinet eating dinner when Clarissa looked at her husband's face, "You OK Spence?" asked Clarissa.

"Despite spending my 24th birthday over two months ago, I keep on remembering that I am getting closer to the 20th anniversary of my parents' deaths," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at his brother-in-law, "Are you thinking about taking time off during the 20th anniversary and go to Vegas?" asked Hotch.

"I've already been thinking about doing that," said Spencer.

Clarissa squeezed her husband's hand, "If you're able to snag time off I will make sure to snag time off too so you don't have to go alone," said Clarissa before focusing on her dinner.

Xxxx

A half-hour later Spencer smiled at his wife and daughter as he lit the candles for Clarissa's and Diana's birthday cake before Haley started singing causing Spencer, Hotch, Sean, and Lucy to join in.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Clarissa and Diana. Happy birthday to you," sang Spencer, Hotch, Haley, Sean, and Lucy.

Clarissa looked at her daughter, "Let's blow out our candles together," said Clarissa.

"OK mommy," said Diana.

A few seconds later Clarissa and Diana were working together to blow out the candles that either spelled out 24 or 2 and after the candles were blown out everyone was clapping.

Xxx

Four days later Spencer and Clarissa were tucking in their little girl and a few minutes later they were downstairs cleaning up Diana's toys.

"I just can't believe that my baby girl's now two years old," said Spencer.

"Me too," said Clarissa before looking at her husband, "So when Diana starts school in August of 2007, do you want to send her to public school, private school, or have her homeschooled since Lucy's here during the day?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer quickly thought about it as he thought about how Diana's already taking it after him when it came to intelligence, "Part of me wants to have her homeschooled so she can learn on her own level while not being a target of bullies for being a genius," said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "but I know that its important to allow Diana to make friends, and with the money we have from our trust funds we can easily send Diana to private school."

"Should we send her to the Christian school that Reverend Alden told us about or schools like Washington International School, Sidwell Friends School, and Georgetown Day School that offers preschool through 12th grade?" asked Clarissa.

"I heard good things about Washington International School, Sidwell Friends School, and Georgetown Day School since five of my former classmates who attended our wedding attended those three schools," said Spencer.

"You know Dr. Bethany Lawrence?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer nodded, "Yes."

"She sends her three kids to Washington International School and her kids love that school," said Clarissa.

"I guess we will see if our daughter can get into Washington International School. If she doesn't get accepted then we can see if she can get into either Georgetown Day School or Sidwell Friends School," said Spencer.

"You do know that when the principal at Washington International School finds out that your a genius, they are going to want to accept Diana when they find out how smart she is," said Clarissa.

"I didn't even have to pay for college at all. When word got out about me being set to graduate high school at 12-years-old, colleges were coming to me and were offering me full academic scholarships that would last until I was done with college," said Spencer right before Clarissa pulled his tie to lock his lips with hers.

After two minutes of kissing, Spencer broke out of the kiss and looked at his wife, "What was that for?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa pressed herself against her husband and she smirked when she felt what she was looking for, "With it only being 8:30, I wanted to tell you that to celebrate having you all to myself until after New Year. Our make-out session worked since I found what I was looking for."

Spencer's eyes darkened a bit as he felt his body reacting more causing him to make sure that the house was secure before scooping up his wife into a bridal carry and carried her upstairs where they checked on their little girl. After making sure that Diana was still asleep, they headed into the master bedroom where they landed onto their bed to continue their make-out session before undressing each other.

Xxxx

Two days later Clarissa looked at her husband who was dressed in jeans, a holiday sweater, and his glasses, "How about you call Elle and ask her if she wants to help out at holiday party in two hours?" asked Clarissa.

"I'll see if she isn't busy," said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and called Elle who answered on the second ring.

"What's up?" asked Elle.

"Clarissa, Diana, and I are heading to Children's National in 90 minutes," said Spencer.

"Is Diana OK?" asked Elle.

Spencer smiled at the worried tone in Elle's voice, "She's not sick or injured."

"Then why are you guys going there?" asked Elle.

"With tomorrow being Christmas Eve, nurses and doctors are throwing a Christmas party for patients and their families. With being married to a staff member I'm allowed to attend the party since I give a magic show to the kids once a month," said Spencer.

"So with me not going to Brooklyn for Christmas your wondering if I want to join you and Clarissa in on helping entertain the kids?" asked Elle.

"Clarissa recommended that I should call you since she wants to hang out with you again. Knowing Diana she's going to want you to play with her," said Spencer.

Elle smiled at the idea of getting to spend time with the two-year-old girl she's been getting to know, "I would love to join you guys. I promise that I won't tell JJ, Garcia, or Morgan about helping out at the Christmas party."

"Thank you," said Spencer before nodding at Clarissa to tell her that Elle's joining them, "So do you want to ride in with Clarissa, Diana, and me or are you planning on driving yourself in?" asked Spencer.

"I will drive there myself,"

Spencer gave Elle the time that she needed to be there before hanging up.

Xxxx

Two and a half hours later Elle who had Diana on her lap laughed with Clarissa as they heard children laugh and cheer at Spencer's physics magic.

"Has he done physics magic at the office yet?" asked Clarissa.

Elle laughed, "He has."

"Physics magic is part of his grand finale," said Clarissa as Spencer shot off another bottle rocket.

"What's after the magic show?" asked Elle.

"A Christmas carol sing-along. Don't be surprised when Spencer joins nurse Laura and nurse Beatrice on the stage since he brought his cello along," said Clarissa before looking at her little girl who was wearing her red velvet dress that was going to be worn again on Sunday, "You want to tell Elle about what daddy started teaching you today?" asked Clarissa.

Diana looked up at Elle, "Daddy is teaching me to pway piano."

Elle thought about seeing a piano, violin, and cello in the Reid family home, "You enjoy hearing him play music?" asked Elle.

Diana nodded as her shoulder-length brown curly hair bounced, "Yes."

Clarissa looked at Elle, "One of the first times I watched Spencer play his violin, I ended up wiping up tears that were falling from my face."

"Really?" asked Elle.

"With how beautiful he plays, his playing even got Haley to cry," said Clarissa as she watched Spencer take a bow before telling the seven-year-old girl he picked to be his assistant decided to curtsey in her hospital gown and robe, "As of right now there's a 15 minute break to use the bathroom, grab more snacks and punch before the concert."

Diana looked at her mother, "I got to go potty."

Elle smiled at Diana, "How about I take you, Diana."

"Thank you, Elle, because I want to help check on a few kids," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

20 minutes later Elle was watching Spencer in awe as he played "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on his cello while two other nurses joined along on either the violin or piano while everyone including Spencer sang along.

Xxxx

The next night Spencer, Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy were sitting around the fireplace as Spencer who had Diana on his lap was reading "A Visit From St. Nicholas" out loud.

Xxxx

After Diana was fast asleep in her bed for an hour, Spencer and Clarissa worked together to get all the presents underneath their Christmas tree before eating and drinking the milk and cookies they laid out before heading to bed themselves.

Xxxx

The next morning Spencer woke up to a two-year-old girl pulling his hair causing Spencer to see a blurry Diana standing by him, "What are you doing here baby girl?" asked Spencer as he reached for his glasses and slipped them on while Clarissa was waking up and reaching for her own glasses and slipped them on.

At that moment Lucy who was standing in the doorway spoke up, "I decided to send Diana in here to wake you two up since I have breakfast being kept warm in the oven."

Spencer looked at his daughter, "What do you say about eating some yummy breakfast before opening the gifts that you got from Santa before we go to church?" asked Spencer.

"Yay!" said Diana as she clapped her hands.

A few minutes later a robe-clad Spencer was carrying his daughter down the stairs with a robe-clad Clarissa next to him before the family of three entered the kitchen to see Lucy setting plates of scrambled eggs, pancakes in the shape of Christmas trees, and shredded hash browns onto the dining room table.

"I already made coffee for you two and hot chocolate for Diana," said Lucy.

"Thank you," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy were enjoying their breakfast.

Xxx

After breakfast, they headed into the living room where Diana's eyes went wide at all the presents that were under the tree.

"For me?" asked Diana.

"There are presents for mommy, uncle Aaron, auntie Haley, uncle Sean, Jack, Lucy, and me too," said Spencer.

"But we can open the presents that have yours, daddy's, Lucy's, and my name on them because after church uncle Aaron, auntie Haley, uncle Sean, and cousin Jack are coming here for lunch," said Clarissa.

"Yay!" cheered Diana.

A few minutes later Diana was ripping open the presents that were handed to her while Spencer, Clarissa, and Lucy opened their presents.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its now January 2006 in this story.
> 
> I hope you readers love the extracurricular activity that little Diana's going to do to help her make friends outside of school when she starts preschool in August of 2007.

A bundled up Diana looked at her mommy who was putting on shoes with blades on her little feet, "What is on my feet?" asked Diana as she pointed at her feet.

A bundled up Spencer who was lacing up his ice skates spoke up, "They are ice skates baby girl."

"Ice skates," repeated Diana.

"Good job," praised Clarissa.

Spencer placed a helmet on top of Diana's head, "We're taking you ice skating for the first time baby girl, and we will hold your hands the entire time."

"OK," said Diana.

Lucy looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "I will stay out here. When Diana has enough I will stay with her so you two can have some fun."

"Thanks, Lucy," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa stepped onto the ice with little Diana between them.

"We'll go slow for you baby girl," said Spencer.

Diana looked up at her daddy and decided to trust him, "OK."

A few seconds later Spencer and Clarissa started slowly skating on the ice as they held onto Diana's hand, and they smiled when they saw Diana watching them glide their feet across the ice.

Spencer smiled at his daughter, "Good job baby girl."

"Are you having fun sweet pea?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes mommy," said Diana as she smiled at how fast she was picking up ice skating, "Can we pwease go fast?" asked Diana.

"Sure baby girl," said Spencer as he and Clarissa locked eyes before nodding.

A few seconds later Spencer and Clarissa picked up some speed and Diana giggled as she skated faster, and after completing a circle in the rink, Spencer looked at his daughter, "Do you just want to skate with me baby girl while mommy shows you how talented she is at ice skating?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded, "Yes daddy."

A few seconds later Clarissa let go of Diana's hand, and as Spencer continued to skate with his daughter, the father and daughter duo watched Clarissa do some turns and jumps on the ice.

"What did you think of mommy's ice skating skills, baby girl?" asked Spencer.

Diana looked up at her father, "I want to do that."

Clarissa made her way over to her two favorite people and she winked at Spencer, "Come to mommy sweet pea."

Diana let go of her daddy's hand and she skated over to her mommy without falling.

"Great job!" praised Clarissa as Spencer skated over to them.

Diana looked at her parents, "I cold."

"Let's take you back to Lucy who will get you some hot chocolate," said Clarissa as she and Spencer each took one of Diana's hands.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa handed Diana to her nanny before Spencer and Clarissa went back onto the ice.

"Diana wants to learn how to ice skate like you. With how uncle Gordon and I did Boy Scouts together to help keep me well rounded. I think that Diana would make friends when she takes ice skating lessons," said Spencer.

Clarissa smirked at her husband, "I think you would enjoy giving her physics lessons."

"There's that too," said Spencer as he let go of his wife's hand and started to skate faster causing Clarissa to chase after him.

A few minutes later they were holding hands again when a couple in their mid 50's approached them.

"We saw you skating with your daughter a while ago, and she was great," said the woman.

"Thanks," said Clarissa.

"You two remind us when we were young. How long have you two been married and how old is your daughter?" asked the woman.

Spencer and Clarissa looked at each other while nodding at each other about not giving out any names.

"We met on November 30th in 2000, and we got married on November 30th in 2002," said Spencer.

"Our daughter just turned two on December 21st," said Clarissa.

"Is the woman your daughter is with her grandma?" asked the woman.

Clarissa shook her head, "That woman is our live-in nanny since my husband is on call 24/7 and one week a month I work third shift."

The 55-year-old woman looked at Clarissa as she thought about how the almost black hair and blue eyes looked familiar, "You look exactly like one of my former students when I taught elementary school in Manassas."

"I grew up in Manassas so what's her name?" asked Clarissa.

"Her name is Clarissa Hotchner, and if my math is correct Clarissa would be 24 right now," said the woman.

Clarissa grinned when she recognized her second-grade teacher, Mrs. Thatcher, "I'm now known as Clarissa Reid, Mrs. Thatcher."

Mrs. Thatcher smiled as she thought about the little girl who was obsessed with figure skating turned into a beautiful young woman, "You've definitely grown up into a beautiful young woman," said Mrs. Thatcher as she hugged Clarissa, "So are you going to introduce me to your husband?" asked Mrs. Thatcher.

"Mrs. Thatcher..." said Clarissa.

"You have the right to call me Abigail since your no longer my student," said Abigail.

"Abigail, I would like to introduce you to my husband Dr. Spencer Reid," said Clarissa.

Spencer shook hands with Clarissa's former second-grade teacher, "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

An impressed Abigail looked at Spencer, "A doctor at 24-years-old?" asked Abigail.

Clarissa started to explain Spencer's IQ, reading speed, memory, and his degrees before Abigail looked at the young couple who looked like they were getting cold, "How about the four of us go get some hot chocolate so I can meet your little girl."

At that moment both couples started to skate towards the exit of the rink while Clarissa skated backward and looked at her former teacher, "OK, and our little girl's name is Diana Ethel Reid."

"Beautiful name," said Abigail.

"Diana's named after my late mom and late aunt," said Spencer.

"And after Diana Barry from "Anne of Green Gables"," said Clarissa.

"You can tell me all about yourself and your daughter while we drink hot chocolate," said Abigail.

A minute later Abigail and her husband Jeffery were meeting Diana before Jeffery took Spencer with him to get hot chocolate for the ladies.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer entered the kitchen with Diana who smiled when she saw her mommy making breakfast with her nanny, "Mommy." said Diana.

Clarissa grinned when she saw two of her favorite people, "Did you have fun with daddy last night?" asked Clarissa as she thought about having to work third shift.

Diana nodded as the pigtails that her daddy pulled her long curly brown hair into bounced, "Yes."

Spencer kissed his wife, "I ended up having Diana sleep with me last night."

"Well get Diana into her booster seat because breakfast is almost done," said Clarissa.

"OK," said Spencer as he swooped Diana into her booster seat before fixing himself a cup of coffee.

Diana looked at her mommy, "We pway today?" asked Diana.

"Mommy has to sleep, but you get to have fun with Lucy," said Clarissa.

Diana sighed, "OK."

Lucy came into the kitchen with the newspaper and passed it to Spencer, "Here you go, Spencer."

Spencer smiled at Lucy, "Thank you, Lucy.

A few minutes later the family of three and Lucy were enjoying their breakfast while Spencer read the newspaper.

Xxxx

Later on that morning, Spencer was sending a quick text message to Clarissa.

GOING TO WILMINGTON, DELAWARE SINCE AN 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL WAS ABDUCTED 20 HOURS AGO. ~ SR

Xxxx

After giving the profile, Hotch walked over to his brother-in-law and quietly spoke, "You should take a break and make a certain phone call."

Spencer gave his brother-in-law a soft smile, "Thanks."

A few minutes later Spencer was standing outside dialing Lucy's number.

"Clarissa mentioned that your helping find a missing 11-year-old girl," said Lucy.

"Yeah, and I was told to take a break for a few minutes. Is she awake?" asked Spencer.

"She just woke up from her afternoon nap a half-hour ago. She's currently helping me make cookies. I take it that you want to talk to her?" asked Lucy.

"Yes please," said Spencer.

"Well here she is," said Lucy before putting her cellphone on speaker, "Daddy's on the phone."

A few seconds later Spencer's face broke into a grin when he heard Diana's voice.

"Hi daddy," said Diana.

Spencer looked around, "Hi there Diana."

"I make cookies with, Lucy," said Diana.

"What type?" asked Spencer as he licked his lips.

"Oclate chips," said Diana as she helped put chocolate chips into the batter.

"I can't wait to have some when I get home, but I have to get going," said Spencer.

"I wuv you, daddy," said Diana.

Spencer looked around, "Love you too, baby girl," said Spencer before hanging up, and as soon as he pocketed his phone Gideon came outside with Detective Russet.

"Come with us Spencer," said Gideon.

A minute later Spencer was in the back seat of a car, and Gideon looked at him, "You doing OK?" asked Gideon.

"I just talked to Diana and she's making chocolate chip cookies with her nanny," said Spencer.

Detective Russet looked at Spencer, "You have a daughter?" asked Detective Russet.

Spencer nodded as he pulled out the picture that was taken over Christmas, "This is my daughter Diana who just turned two on December 21st. The only agents Hotchner, Gideon, and Greenway know about her since my wife is Agent Hotchner's little sister."

Detective Russet looked at the picture and she couldn't help but smile at the blue eyes and brown curly-haired toddler, "She's beautiful and she has your hair," said Detective Russet before she handed Spencer the photo back before starting the car.

Xxxx

The next morning Spencer grinned when he pulled into the driveway the same time as Clarissa. Less than a minute later Spencer and Clarissa were kissing each other in the garage.

"I'm so glad that you, Aaron, Jason, and the rest of the team found that girl alive," said Clarissa.

"Me too," said Spencer as he kissed his wife again, "We have our own little girl who's sleeping safely in her bed, so we should go inside since Lucy's going to wake up Diana soon."

"So do you have to go back to work today?" asked Clarissa.

"With having to pull an all-nighter I have the day off, and paperwork will wait until tomorrow," said Spencer.

"So after breakfast should we take a shower together and go to bed?" asked Clarissa as she winked at her husband.

Spencer nodded as his stomach growled, "Missing children means less time to eat."

"Let's go inside and start breakfast," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were making breakfast and coffee together, and as soon as they placed breakfast onto the table Lucy came into the kitchen with Diana on her hip.

"Mommy! Daddy!" exclaimed Diana as Lucy set her down so she could hug her parents.

"Hey there Diana," said Spencer as he swooped up his daughter and hugged her before Clarissa had a turn.

A few minutes later the Reid family and Lucy were sitting a the kitchen table eating breakfast, "Do you have to go back to the BAU today?" asked Lucy.

"I have the day off," said Spencer.

"What about catching up on sleep?" asked Lucy.

"Been up for 24 hours so you can probably figure out that I will be heading to bed soon," said Spencer.

"No pway wit me?" asked Diana.

"Daddy didn't get any sleep last night baby girl, so I need to get some sleep just like mommy," said Spencer.

Diana sighed, "OK."

Lucy looked at Diana, "You don't want to play with me?" asked Lucy as she pouted at her young charge causing Spencer and Clarissa to chuckle.

"I like pway wit you," said Diana.

"What do you say about spending the entire day out of the house so mommy and daddy can catch up some sleep?" asked Lucy.

"OK," said Diana.

Xxxx

20 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were taking a shower together.

Xxxx

After spending a half-hour in the shower, Spencer looked at his wife, "Before we get some sleep, I wanted to talk to you about teaching Diana about not talking to strangers while eventually signing her up for karate so she can defend herself," said Spencer.

"I've been thinking about that too especially since she could become a target because of you and Aaron," said Clarissa.

"At least Chief Strauss agreed to keep information on you and Diana out of your brother's and my personal files," said Spencer.

"When she visited after Diana's birth I was glad that she offered to do that," said Clarissa.

"Me too," said Spencer before yawning.

Clarissa looked at the alarm clock that stated that it was 8:30 AM despite the room darkening curtains that they already drew shut so the sunlight wouldn't bother them, "We should definitely get some sleep because Lucy is going to wake us up at lunchtime so we can eat before catching up on more sleep.," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were fast asleep in each other's arms.


	28. Chapter 28

Spencer was sorting through his go bag when Clarissa exited the bathroom wearing only purple lingerie.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "Almost done sorting through your go bag?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer turned around and he groaned when he saw what Clarissa was wearing causing him to put his go-bag by the bedroom door, "Just finished sorting through it."

A few seconds later Spencer and Clarissa were passionately making out in bed.

Xxxx

The next day Spencer was following Gideon and Warden Diehl towards the cell that Sarah Jean was in.

"We call this the 'dead man valley'," said Warden Diehl.

"Did she have any contact with Jacob?" asked Gideon.

"Well, until today she's declined contact with anyone. For her own safety, we keep her away from the other prisoners. The hate for this woman is as fresh today, as it was 15 years ago." said Warden Diehl before looking at a guard, "Open on 4."

The doors to Sarah's cell opened allowing Gideon to step inside as Gideon noticed some paintings, "Accomplished work."

"I've had plenty of time," said Sarah before turning around to see Gideon with a young man, "What is it that you want to know?" asked Sarah.

"I think it's time the mothers of those girls learn why their children had to die. Don't you?" asked Gideon before he introduced himself and Spencer.

Sarah looked at Spencer causing her to think about her son currently being 17, "How old are you Dr. Reid?" asked Sarah.

"24," said Spencer as he thought about how glad he is to have his wedding band hidden on a chain around his neck.

A few minutes later Spencer, Gideon, and a female guard were taking Sarah to an interview room as Sarah looked at Spencer, "A doctor, so young. Your mother must be very proud."

Before Spencer could answer Jacob was on the other side of the gate.

"Sarah Jean! You look so fine, baby cakes. This was meant to be, our names will live forever! Let's go. It's a beautiful thing!" said Jacob.

"Let's go!" ordered Hotch as he saw some sadness in Spencer's eyes causing him to make a mental note to talk to Gideon.

Xxxx

A couple of hours later Spencer was outside calling Clarissa who answered on the second ring.

"How's it going?" asked Clarissa.

"I prefer yours and Lucy's cooking over prison food," said Spencer.

Clarissa laughed, "Sometimes I prefer your cooking. What do you want for dinner when you get home?" asked Clarissa.

"Can we have chicken stir fry?" asked Spencer.

"Chicken stir fry it is," said Clarissa.

"Is Diana awake?" asked Spencer.

"Lucy's giving her a bath right now since Lucy told me that I should have a bubble bath," said Clarissa just as she heard giggling and the pitter-patter of little feet and Lucy shouting.

"Get back here Diana!" exclaimed Lucy in the background.

Spencer chuckled, "Terrible twos are in full swing," joked Spencer.

"I know, and it seems like Diana is just like me when it came to terrible twos," giggled Clarissa just before little Diana entered the bedroom causing Clarissa to laugh when she saw her giggling daughter naked, "Daddy's on the phone, and he won't be happy when he finds out that you are streaking instead of taking a bath."

"Put her on," said Spencer.

"OK," said Clarissa as she put her phone on speaker, "You're now on speaker."

"Hi daddy," said Diana.

"I hear that you're being naughty right now," said Spencer sternly.

"Sowwy daddy," said Diana.

"You need to listen to your nanny young lady," said Spencer.

"OK daddy," sighed Diana.

"Daddy has to get back to work," said Spencer.

"You come home soon?" asked Diana.

"I should be home hopefully tomorrow night when you're asleep, but I have to get back to work," said Spencer.

"Wuv you daddy," said Diana.

"I love you too," said Spencer.

"Am I chopped liver?" asked Clarissa.

"I love you," said Spencer.

"Love you too," said Clarissa before hanging up.

Xxxx

A couple of hours later Spencer who was sitting away from the rest of the team at the small table reached into his messenger bag and pulled out the photo album that his mom started in high school just as Hotch sat down across from him.

"I had a feeling that you would be joining me soon," said Spencer quietly as he paged through the photo album.

"Gideon told me about what Sarah said," said Hotch quietly.

"It's just whenever someone brings up about my mother being proud at me for being a doctor at my age I always end up looking through this photo album when I have a chance," said Spencer as he continued to go through the photo album.

"There are some days that I miss my mom too," said Hotch before looking at a picture of a tightrope walker that had a picture of a young Spencer's head glued on, "Why is your head on that picture of a tightrope walker?" asked an amused Hotch.

Spencer chuckled as he thought about how his uncle told him about why he had a small scar on his hand, "Three months before mom and dad died, they took me to the circus for the first time. With how much fun I had, I decided that I wanted to become a tightrope walker when I grow up," said Spencer as he started to explain about trying to walk on top of the backyard fence.

Hotch briefly smiled as he thought about how his niece was already taking after her father when it came to intelligence while having her mother's personality, "I always wondered about why you had that small scar on your hand," said Hotch as he looked at the scar on Spencer's hand before continuing, "So how do you remember that day?" asked Hotch.

"Mom wrote about everything I did in her journals. You already know that I inherited them along with the books that belonged to my parents," said Spencer before turning the next page of the photo album causing Hotch to decide to stay with Spencer.

Xxxx

The next day Spencer was playing his cello that once belonged to his mom when Diana approached him.

"Why you cwying daddy?" asked Diana as she noticed the tears that were falling from her daddy's face.

Spencer looked at his two-year-old daughter as he placed his mother's old cello into its case, "Its just one of these days that I miss your namesake grandma Diana, baby girl," said Spencer as he pulled his daughter onto his lap, "Do you want to know why your named Diana?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Diana as her shoulder-length brown curly hair bounced.

"I told your mommy that if we ever have a beautiful little girl like you, I would want to name you Diana after your grandma," said Spencer before chuckling, "Mommy agreed since Diana Barry from the children's book "Anne of Green Gables" is your mommy's favorite character."

"Can we pwease read?" asked Diana.

"We sure can baby girl. When your grandma Diana and grandpa William were alive your grandma Diana loved reading to me," said Spencer as he got up and carried Diana upstairs to their home library was located, "Do you have to go to the bathroom before I read to you?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Diana.

Over seven minutes later Diana ended up picking out "Anne of Green Gables" causing Spencer to read "Anne of Green Gables" to his daughter.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you readers love the hidden stairway that leads to the attic that Spencer decided to be turned into his home office.
> 
> Luckily Spencer and Clarissa will never argue about Spencer's job like Haley and Hotch did because Clarissa works a demanding job as a pediatric nurse so sometimes she's asked to drop everything when another nurse can't make his or her shift.

Spencer and Clarissa smiled as they ice skated at their favorite indoor skating rink, "I just love it when we spend Valentine's Day going ice skating, said Clarissa.

Spencer smiled at his wife, "I love going ice skating as long as I'm skating with you."

Clarissa thought about the plans she and her husband had for Valentine's Day, "Should we head home so we can take a bubble bath together before we get some sleep since we both have work tomorrow?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Xxxx

A half-hour later Spencer and Clarissa were in their bathroom taking a bubble bath together while being grateful that Lucy insisted on having Diana have a sleepover with her in her little cottage.

Xxxx

A week and a half later Spencer was sitting on the bed as he watched Clarissa put on her scrubs.

"I'm sorry about having to go into work tonight," said Clarissa as she thought about getting called in since three of the nurses coming down with the stomach flu.

"I'm not upset since I'm basically on call 24/7 too," said Spencer.

Clarissa smiled at her husband, "At least we both agreed about not fighting over our jobs since we both wanted to help save lives for a living."

"I know," grinned Spencer as he got up and kissed his wife, "At least we had a family dinner before your pager went off."

A few minutes later Spencer was standing by the front window with Diana on his hip as they waved to Clarissa who was pulling out of the driveway.

Xxxx

A half-hour later Spencer looked at Diana as he tucked her into bed, "Ready to continue the adventures of Anne Shirley?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded, "Yes daddy."

Spencer grabbed "Anne of Green Gables" and started reading where they left off.

Xxxx

As soon as Diana was asleep, Spencer headed downstairs only to see Lucy cleaning up, "I was just about to come downstairs to clean up." said Spencer.

"I know, but I thought that you should start your "Me time" before you get some sleep," said Lucy.

"Thank you for taking care of everything down here while I focused on Diana," said Spencer.

"It's not a problem, Spencer. So do you need me anymore tonight?" asked Lucy.

Spencer shook his head, "Not that I know of, but right now I'm planning on heading to the attic to work on the three consults that I brought home yesterday before I head to bed."

"Call me if you need anything," said Lucy as she headed to the back door.

A few minutes later Spencer was heading upstairs to his and Clarissa's home library where he walked to one of the deeper bookcases that were already there when he and Clarissa moved in. He found the movable bookcase and pulled it open causing him to flick on a light switch so he could head up the stairs to his home office where he already placed the three consults that he brought home the day before.

Xxxxx

Eight hours later Spencer was woken up by the ringing of his cellphone causing him to quickly answer it, "Dr. Reid," answered Spencer groggily.

"We have a case and I will be picking you up in 15 minutes," said Hotch before hanging up.

"OK," said Spencer as he fumbled for his glasses and put them on before getting out of bed so he could grab the land-line and contact Lucy who told him that she would be there in five minutes.

Xxxx

15 minutes later Spencer was buckling up in the front seat of his brother-in-law's car.

"Sorry about calling you in," said Hotch as he watched his brother-in-law buckle up.

"It's OK since Clarissa ended up getting called in while we were eating dessert, and other than spending some time with Diana before tucking her in at 7 PM. I was able to get the consults that I brought home done before getting at least six hours of sleep," said Spencer.

"At least you and Clarissa were able to find a nanny who is willing to live with you guys," said Hotch as he pulled out of the driveway.

"I know, and Clarissa and I both agreed to never argue about our jobs since there are times that Clarissa's on call 24/7 like me, and tonight was one of those nights," said Spencer.

"Well at least you will get to meet one of the founders of the BAU that you never got to meet yet," said Hotch.

"I'm going to be meeting Max Ryan since Gideon was going to Max Ryan's book signing?" asked Spencer.

"The very one," said Hotch.

Spencer grinned as he pulled out his phone and sent Clarissa a text message.

I ENDED UP GETTING CALLED IN FOR A CASE. LUCKILY I GET TO MEET MAX RYAN! ~ SR

A few minutes later Spencer's phone vibrated causing him to read a text message from Clarissa.

STAY SAFE, AND RIGHT NOW ITS PRACTICALLY A GHOST TOWN IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM SO THE HEAD NURSE IS GOING TO LET ME GET SOME SLEEP ON THE COUCH IN THE BREAK ROOM. ~ CR

Xxx

After briefing was over, Spencer was at his desk grabbing his book by Max Ryan when his cellphone vibrated causing him to see a text from Elle.

HOW DID CLARISSA TAKE YOU GETTING CALLED IN? ~ EG

Spencer quickly typed a reply.

SHE GOT CALLED IN AT 6:30 YESTERDAY EVENING SINCE ONE OF THE NURSES WHO WORKS THIRD SHIFT ON THE WEEKENDS CAME DOWN WITH THE STOMACH FLU, AND LUCY HAD NO PROBLEM BEING WOKEN UP. ~ SR

A few seconds later Spencer was sending Clarissa a quick text message.

GOING TO PHILADELPHIA. ~ SR

Xxxx

After completing his paperwork, Spencer pulled on his jacket when Max Ryan approached him, "With watching you help bring down Walter Kern, I can see why the FBI allowed you into the academy at 21 instead of waiting for you to turn 23," said Max.

"The F.B.I. first approached me when I was 19," said Spencer.

Max noticed some pictures on Spencer's desk before he laid his eyes on a picture of a little boy with big glasses with a man who looked like Spencer while there was a woman who had blue eyes and curly blonde hair, "Is that you as a little boy with your parents?" asked Max.

"Yes." said Spencer before sighing sadly, "That's also the last picture that was taken of me with my parents before they died. My mom's older brother and his wife ended up adopting me when I was four after a drunk driver killed my parents."

Max looked at the pictures before seeing a picture of a slightly older Spencer with a blonde hair and blue-eyed man in a police uniform, "Now why does that man in your pictures look familiar?" asked Max.

"My uncle Gordon Tucker was a police officer in Las Vegas before transferring to a precinct in New Haven. He worked with the BAU two times in the late 80s and three times in the 90s," said Spencer.

"Now I remember him. Your the nephew he bragged about the one time I worked with him," said Max.

Spencer smiled, "He told me about working with you since he encouraged me to go down the FBI route."

Max thought about watching Spencer help him find the Keystone Killer and how he wanted to thank Gordon for convincing Spencer to join the F.B.I., "How is he these days?" asked Max.

Spencer sighed sadly, "He and aunt Ethel have been dead for over five years," said Spencer sadly as he explained about the accident that killed his aunt and uncle.

Xxxx

When Spencer was finished, Max looked at him, "With my family leaving me because of my job, just don't let whatever family you have left go."

At that moment Hotch came down the stairs and looked at his brother-in-law, "You ready to go home Reid?" asked Hotch.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Max looked between Spencer and Hotch, "You two carpool?" asked Max.

"Reid lives two blocks away from me, so I don't mind giving Reid rides to and from work when I don't have a meeting," said Hotch.

"How's that wife of yours Aaron?" asked Max.

"She's doing great. She invited you over for a late dinner since you have to meet my three-month-old son," said Hotch.

"Mind if I ride with you guys then?" asked Max.

"Not at all," said Hotch.

Xxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer was in the back seat of Hotch's car when Max looked at Hotch, "So how's your brother and sister?" asked Max.

"I haven't talked to Sean since Christmas, but I get to see Clarissa a couple of times a week since she's a pediatric nurse at Children's National and lives a few blocks from here," said Hotch before smiling a bit, "Clarissa and my niece are currently with Haley right now."

"Niece?" asked Max.

"Clarissa got married over three years ago to a nice young man that she met at Yale. They have a beautiful little girl who just turned two in December," said Hotch.

Spencer looked out the window as he tried to hide his smirk.

"Do you approve the man who married your baby sister?" asked Max.

"I sure do," said Hotch.

"With me getting to see your sister again, I better be meeting the young man who made an honest woman out of Clarissa," said Max.

Hotch looked through the rearview mirror and worked hard on containing his laughter at the smirk Spencer was showing before glancing at Max, "You already met him since he's currently in the backseat."

Max looked at Spencer in shock before looking at Hotch, "You two are allowed to be on the same team?" asked Max.

"I wasn't unit chief when Spencer joined the team. When I became unit chief, we were allowed to be on the same team since we've done a great job at hiding our relationship as brothers-in-law," said Hotch.

"Erin Strauss knows?" asked Max.

"She knows since she decided to keep certain information out of my file. I was placed into the BAU shortly after my 22nd birthday due to the psychological exams that I was given," said Spencer.

"So who was your training officer?" asked Max.

"I was since Gideon was unit chief, but Gideon and I both worked together on training Spencer," said Hotch.

Xxxx

Over an hour later Spencer felt Diana collide into his legs causing him to scoop up his two-year-old daughter, "I missed you, Diana," said Spencer as he hugged and kissed his daughter.

"I miss you too, daddy," said Diana before giving her father a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Where's my kiss, Diana?" asked Hotch.

Spencer handed his daughter over to Hotch.

Diana kissed her favorite uncle before she looked at the stranger that was with her father and uncle Aaron,

"Who are you?" asked Diana before looking at her father and uncle Aaron home, "You two bring stranger home."

Spencer laughed, "I see that the lessons I'm giving you on strangers are working."

Hotch looked at his niece, "This is Max Ryan who was a profiler just like your daddy and I are."

"Can you say hi?" asked Spencer as he took his daughter back.

"Hi," said Diana shyly before burying her face into her daddy's neck just as Clarissa who had Jack in her arms entered the foyer.

"Despite it being past her bedtime, she insisted on staying awake when I told her that her daddy and uncle Aaron were coming home," said Clarissa before pecking Spencer on the lips before kissing her brother on the cheek, "Welcome home."

Max took in the sight of the little girl on her father's hip, "I have to say that Diana's a perfect mixture of you two."

"Diana's named after my mom," said Spencer as he kissed his nephew on the forehead before Hotch took his son from his sister.

Max looked at Spencer and Hotch, "Well hopefully you two never lose your families over your jobs like Jason and me."

"Well it's helpful that my hours vary since I work third shift one week a month while being on call during weekends just in case a nurse can't make it," said Clarissa.

"So how do you two manage being parents?" asked Max.

"We have a live-in nanny who takes care of Diana while helping with cooking and cleaning," said Clarissa just as Haley entered the room.

"Dinner's done," said Haley before greeting Max.

A few minutes later Diana was sleeping on the couch while Spencer, Clarissa, Hotch, Haley, and Max were enjoying a late dinner.


	30. Chapter 30

Spencer set down his pen by the form he was filling out before pushing his glasses up his nose as he looked at his wife, “Done with our taxes until next year," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked up from the checks that she was writing for their bills, "I only have three more checks to fill out." said Clarissa as she placed a check into an envelope with the correct bill before looking at her husband, "So how much are we getting back for our tax return?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer showed Clarissa their return form before Clarissa looked at their bank statements causing her to think about how she and Spencer aren't hurting on money due to Spencer having over $800,000 left in his trust fund while they made sure that Lucy gets paid for taking care of Diana while getting health insurance.

"Since we never have to worry about not having enough money, should we eventually put the $3,000 that we should be getting from our tax return into the account that we set up for Diana's schooling?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer decided to help his wife finish up writing checks for their bills, "We should, and I wonder if Sean, Aaron, and Haley will ask me to file their taxes for them again."

Clarissa laughed as she thought about both Aaron and Sean asking Spencer to help them with their taxes so they don't have to pay an accountant, "They probably will since they're willing to pay you with coffee instead of paying an accountant to file their taxes."

Spencer laughed before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Let's clean up the table and go to bed since we have church in the morning," said Clarissa.

"What should we do after church?" asked Spencer.

"Diana is going to have a playdate with Courtney while Peter and Sarah talk to you about putting on a magic show during Darren's fifth birthday party next weekend," said Clarissa as she thought about how Spencer's asked to do magic shows at some birthday parties.

"I can't make any promises due to my job, but if I'm not working I will be glad to put on a magic show for Darren," said Spencer as he thought about how he always ends up putting on a magic show for the kids during the coffee hour after church.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer was coming down the stairs with Diana on his hip when the doorbell rang, and less than a minute later he was letting his 25-year-old brother-in-law into the house, "Well this is a surprise, Sean,"

"I just wanted to see you, Clarissa, and my niece before I surprise Aaron at the B.A.U.," said Sean as he took his niece from Spencer, "Hi there Diana."

Diana grinned at the uncle she rarely sees, "Hi unca Sean."

Spencer looked at his brother-in-law as he thought about Hotch telling him that Sean has never shown up at the BAU yet, "When you visit your brother please don't bring up Clarissa's, Diana's, or my name since Aaron and I are not allowed to bring up that Aaron and I are brothers-in-laws."

"I understand since you two are protecting my baby sister and my niece." said Sean before looking around, "Speaking of my little sister, where is she?" asked Sean.

"She's doing her hair right now. I was planning on getting breakfast started before Lucy takes over the kitchen," said Spencer.

"Mind if I help cook?" asked Sean.

"You can help since I was planning on making shredded hash browns from scratch, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and bacon,"

Sean followed his brother-in-law to the kitchen while he still carried his niece, "Usually it was oatmeal and orange juice when Aaron, Clarissa, and I were kids."

"I know. When it comes to Clarissa's and my jobs, we need to eat a big breakfast just in case there's no time to eat lunch or lunch is cut short," said Spencer as they entered the kitchen, "Could you please get Diana a banana that she can munch on while breakfast is being cooked?" asked Spencer

Sean placed his niece into her booster seat, "Sure Spencer."

Two minutes later Diana was munching on a banana while Spencer and Sean worked together on cooking breakfast.  
Spencer who was scrambling eggs looked at his brother-in-law, "It's a good thing that aunt Ethel taught me how to cook since she was a caterer."

Sean nodded as he peeled potatoes, "I always hoped that I would win a girl with my cooking skills."

"Cooking is chemistry for me. You should remember how I asked your sister out," said Spencer.

Clarissa entered the kitchen and kissed her 25-year-old brother-in-law on the cheek, "That card trick was amazing, but I loved the magic trick you did when you asked me to marry you."

Xxxx

Later on that morning, Spencer inwardly smirked as he watched JJ and Garcia talk about his brother-in-law before he saw his brother-in-law's office door open.

Garcia watched Sean exit Hotch's office, "Here he comes."

JJ took in the sight of the man around her age who has blonde hair and blue eyes while her boss had nearly black hair and brown eyes, "That's Hotch's brother? I don't see it."

Hotch thought about his 24-year-old sister doing well with her life when it came to working a well-paying job as a nurse, being married for over three years, while raising a two-year-old daughter, "Sean, listen to me. All I'm saying is that you're 25-years-old."

Sean thought about his brother always favoring their sister and didn't criticize her for how she's living her life while he always gets criticized, "You know what? Don't profile me Aaron!" yelled Sean as he glared at his older brother before storming away.

JJ quickly recognized the glare that Hotch gave people when he's angry and smiled, "Now I see it."

Spencer quickly grabbed his cellphone and texted Hotch from underneath his desk.

WHATEVER SEAN CAME HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT, HE NEVER TOLD CLARISSA OR ME ANYTHING OVER BREAKFAST THIS MORNING. ~ SR

A minute later Spencer's phone vibrated and he inwardly smirked at Hotch's text.

I HAD A FEELING THAT HE DIDN'T TELL YOU OR CLARISSA. YOU TWO WOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO BECOME A LAWYER SINCE HE WANTS TO BECOME A CHEF IN NEW YORK CITY. ~ AH

Spencer quickly typed another reply.

IT MIGHT BE GOOD THAT SEAN MOVES AWAY BECAUSE I'VE BEEN TREATED TO A SHOW OF JJ, ELLE, AND GARCIA OOGLING YOUR BROTHER. IF SEAN STAYS, ONE OF OUR FEMALE TEAMMATES MIGHT BECOME OUR SISTER-IN-LAW. ~ SR

A minute later Hotch replied.

HAVING ONLY ONE TEAMMATE BEING MARRIED TO ONE OF MY SIBLINGS IS ENOUGH. ~ AH

A few minutes later Spencer was hiding in his brother-in-law's office where he sent a text message to Clarissa.

ASIDE FROM WATCHING ELLE, JJ, AND GARCIA OOGLE SEAN, I'M GOING TO TERRA MESA, NEW MEXICO. I PROMISE THAT I WILL STAY SAFE WHILE TRYING TO FIND TIME TO CALL YOU BEFORE DIANA IS PUT TO BED. I LOVE YOU. ~ SR

A minute later Clarissa replied.

PLEASE TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT THE SHOW YOU WITNESSED IN THE BULLPEN WHEN YOU'RE AWAY FROM THE REST OF THE TEAM. ~ CR

Xxxx

After the case was over, Spencer and Clarissa entered the diner that Sean worked at with Diana.

Clarissa grinned when she saw her two brothers together, "Hey guys," said Clarissa as she gave her two brothers each a kiss on the cheek.

Sean quickly grabbed a booster seat for his niece, "I was hoping that you three would come for dinner."

Clarissa watched her husband swoop their daughter off his shoulders and blew a raspberry on Diana's belly before placing the giggling toddler into the booster seat, "Diana wanted to see her uncle Sean."

"Want your usual?" asked Sean.

"Yes please," said Spencer.

Sean smiled at his niece who was wearing overalls and a long-sleeved striped purple shirt, "Want a coloring book and some crayons?" asked Sean.

Diana nodded as her curly brown pigtails bounced, "Yes pwease."

A minute later Diana was happily coloring in a coloring book when Sean looked at his sister, "I'm moving to New York to work under a chef who can teach me a lot."

"Spence told me," said Clarissa before she looked at her husband, "Can you please cover Diana's ears, Spence?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer covered Diana's ears allowing Clarissa to look at her brother.

Clarissa gave her 25-year-old brother her 'Hotchner glare', "You better stay out of trouble or I will personally come up to New York City and kick your ass."

Sean looked at his sister, "I will try since Aaron gave me information on one of his contacts from a field office in New York City," said Sean before looking at Spencer and Clarissa, "You two better bring my niece to New York City to visit me, and please think about giving me another niece or nephew to spoil."

"We will visit you, but we want to wait until we're both at or near your age to give Diana a little brother or sister," said Clarissa.

"How many kids are you wanting to have?" asked Sean.

Clarissa smiled at her husband, "I would love to have two of each."

Sean looked at his brother-in-law, "What about you, Spencer? asked Sean.

"I think having two of each would be nice since I hated being an only child growing up," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her husband as she pulled out her camera from her purse, "Can you please take a picture of me with my brothers?" asked Clarissa.

"Sure," said Spencer before looking at his daughter who was coloring in the lines, "Do you want Diana in the picture?" asked Spencer.

"I just want one of me with Aaron and Sean before I ask someone to get a picture of all of us," said Clarissa.

Diana's eyes went wide at the chocolate cake, "Can I pwease eat cake?" asked Diana causing Spencer, Clarissa, Hotch, and Sean to chuckle.

"After you eat your dinner," said Spencer as he ran a hand through Diana's pigtails, "And with how yummy that cake looks, I might have to share a piece with you," said Spencer as he tickled his daughter's belly.

"You two and your love for anything sweet," muttered Clarissa before looking at her husband, "Please take that picture now because we can't let Sean take a long break."

"Yes ma'am," said Spencer.

Less than a minute later Spencer was taking a picture of the three Hotchner siblings together before a waitress took a picture of the three Hotchner siblings, Spencer, and Diana together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just so you readers know, I am not going to have Lila Archer happen because of the upcoming chapter that deals with the 20th anniversary of Diana and William Reid being killed so Spencer will be going to Las Vegas instead of Los Angeles with Gideon.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up changing some of the lines because I have it that Spencer's been to New York City countless of times when his aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon were alive because of New York City being about 70 miles away from New Haven.
> 
> I cast Cameron Diaz as Nurse Janet Powell.

Haley looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "Aaron and I appreciate you two agreeing to watch Jack for a couple of hours," said Haley.

Clarissa smiled at her nephew who was laying content in her arms, "With all the times that you two offered to watch Diana so Lucy can have the night off, we're glad to return the favor."

Jack looked at his uncle Spencer before he started to squirm in his aunt Clarissa's arms as he whimpered causing Spencer to take his nephew from his wife where he instantly quieted down in his uncle Spencer's arms.

Clarissa looked at her husband and thought about how good he looked while holding a baby, "Someone loves his uncle Spence."

Diana who was standing between her parents looked up at her father, "Ack wuvs daddy?" asked Diana.

Clarissa instantly swooped up her daughter and settled her onto her hip, "He sure does sweet pea, and when Jack's a bit older he will love to play with you and your father at the same time."

Diana sighed, "OK."

Hotch looked at his niece who was a perfect mixture of her parents, "Are you going to help your mommy and daddy take care of your cousin?" asked Hotch.

Diana nodded as her curly pigtails bounced, "Yes."

Xxxx

An hour later Spencer and Clarissa were cuddling on the couch while Spencer held Jack.

"Remember when Diana was this small?" asked Spencer as he made faces to his five-month-old nephew causing the five-month-old baby boy to laugh.

Spencer and Clarissa smiled at their laughing five-month-old nephew while Clarissa ran a gentle finger along Jack's cheek, "I miss those days."

"Me too." said Spencer as he looked at his two-year-old daughter who was dancing to the classical music that he put on earlier, "She didn't inherit my balance."

"Your balance while ice skating is perfect, Spence," said Clarissa before looking at Diana who was dancing, "While you were in New Mexico last week, I ended up taking Diana to one of my colleague's daughter's ballet recital and she's doing the same moves that Angela was doing."

"Seems like Diana inherited my eidetic memory since she ended up reciting "The Foot Book" by Dr. Seuss last night without opening the book," said Spencer before looking at his nephew who was staring at him, "What do you say about me reading to you, buddy?" asked Spencer.

Jack happily babbled at the thought about his uncle Spencer reading to him since he loves it when his uncle Spencer reads to him.

"I take that as a yes," chuckled Spencer.

"I will go grab a book," said Clarissa as she got off the couch and looked at Diana who stopped dancing, "Are you wanting daddy to continue reading "Anne of Green Gables" to you?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes," said Diana.

Xxxx

Five minutes later Spencer was continuing his reading of "Anne of Green Gables" to Diana and Jack while not realizing that Clarissa took a picture and sent it to Haley.

JACK LOVES LISTENING TO HIS UNCLE SPENCER READ TO HIM. ~ CR

Xxxx

Later on that night Spencer and Clarissa were getting ready for bed when Spencer looked at the scar on Clarissa's right ankle causing him to think back to Clarissa telling him that after breaking her ankle she couldn't do competitive figure skating anymore.

"Do you miss competitive figure skating?" asked Spencer.

"I do because I was hoping that I could compete in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Either way, I'm glad that I retired from competitive figure skating to attend Yale so I could become a pediatric nurse because I met you," said Clarissa as she kissed her husband.

Spencer looked at the clock, "With it being 11 PM right now, we should probably get some sleep because I have that promised magic show to give at Children's National tomorrow," said Spencer as he took off his glasses and set them on his nightstand causing Clarissa to follow suit with her glasses.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were fast asleep in their bed.

Xxxx

The next morning Clarissa smiled when she saw the nurse who pulled her out of the deep end after her life-changing accident by asking her to help her entertain children during her two-week stay at Children's National while mentoring her when she started at Children's National.

"Hello Clarissa, Spencer, and Diana," said Nurse Janet Powell.

Clarissa gave the nurse who changed her life a hug, "I didn't know that you will be here today."

Janet Powell looked at Clarissa as she thought about meeting 17-year-old Clarissa as she hugged Diana, "I wanted to see my goddaughter and watch your husband give a magic show to the kids."

Diana pointed out to the area where her father was setting up for his magic show, "Daddy do a magic show."

"I know Diana." said Janet before looking at Clarissa, "My husband and I are hoping that you, Diana, and Spencer would come over for dinner tonight."

"I'll talk to Spence when we're on our way home," said Clarissa.

Two minutes later Spencer was stumping the child that he picked to be his assistant with a card trick.

Xxxxx

Two days later Spencer was playing cards with his teammates as they headed to New York City.

"This is not how I planned to spend a few days home in New York," said Elle.

"I'd kill for an afternoon at Barney's and dinner at Il Cantinori," smiled JJ.

Spencer thought about he happy memories that he had with his aunt and uncle whenever they took him to New York City to visit museums and tourist attractions, "I'm looking forward to seeing New York."

A shocked Morgan looked at Spencer, "You've never been to New York?" asked Morgan.

"We've never had an unsub there," said Spencer before seeing the shocked looks from Morgan, Elle, and JJ, "After aunt Ethel, uncle Gordon, and I moved to New Haven so I can attend Yale, we all agreed that we would spend a week in New York City every year. After aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon died I didn't have the heart to spend time in New York City anymore because aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon went to New York City to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary for two days before they were killed.”

Hotch looked at Gideon, "At least Reid's starting his week-long vacation next Sunday," said Hotch quietly as he thought about him and Haley agreeing to take in Merton since Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy were going to Las Vegas with Spencer so he didn't have to deal with the anniversary of his biological parents deaths on his own.

"Except it's going to Las Vegas for the 20th anniversary of his parents' deaths," said Gideon quietly.

Morgan looked at Spencer, "What about driving through New York when you were still in college?" asked Morgan as he thought about Spencer telling him about staying with his godparents after earning his second Ph.D. for the summer before moving to Cambridge.

"I've never had a problem with driving through New York," said Spencer before everyone focused on the case.


	32. Chapter 32

Spencer and Hotch were interviewing an old African American man as they walked through a busy hallway, "He's small, meticulous. You might not notice him at first, but when you do, you realize he's heard everything around him." said Hotch.

"He might have had a personal brush with crime. When it happened, he talked about it all the time. But now you realize he hasn't mentioned it in quite a while," said Spencer.

"And when the subject of the vigilante comes up, he expresses his support, but it's not something he would bring up in conversation himself," said Hotch.

"Well, if people are being honest with you, that's most of the people in this building." said the man before looking at Spencer and realized that he looks so young, "How old are you?" asked the man.

"24," answered Spencer.

"I'll give you six years. That point, a tiny part of your brain will be asking if what this guy's doing isn't the right way to go," said the man as he clapped Spencer on the shoulder before walking away.

A few minutes later Spencer approached Gideon who was reading a newspaper.

"Anything?" asked Gideon.

"Uh-uh. You?" asked Spencer.

"Nm," said Gideon.

Spencer thought about earlier and how Hotch never told him about Iowa despite knowing him for over five years and nearly four months.

"What happened in Iowa?" asked Spencer.

Gideon stopped reading his newspaper and removed his reading glasses, "It was one of the first cases your brother-in-law and I worked together. Small town, two boys had been murdered, the same signature. The profile led us to the local 4-H leader. We went to interview him, the guy, he was so excited. He had a shotgun. Our guns were drawn. At some point, he turns the shotgun on Hotch. Instead of firing, Hotch talks him down the guy surrenders."

Spencer thought about his brother-in-law, "Sounds like pretty good work."

"At trial, the guy's wife gave him an alibi for both murders. Small town. They all knew each other. The jurors believed her. Eventually, they got him when he killed another boy," said Gideon as Hotch approached them.

Xxxx

After the case was over, Morgan looked at Spencer who was looking through an old photo album as he thought about how Spencer was leaving for Vegas on Sunday for the 20th anniversary of the death is parents, "Do you know what happened to the person who killed your biological parents?" asked Morgan.

"Because of my dad being a successful lawyer at the time of his death, the law firm that my dad worked for made sure that I got justice despite being four-years-old at the time," said Spencer.

"Did your uncle ever tell you the name of the driver?" asked Morgan.

"Lou Jenkins. A week prior to my parents being killed his six-year-old son Riley Jenkins who was on the same little league team as me was killed by a pedophile named Gary Michaels who was targeting me next," said Spencer.

JJ's eyes went wide as she realized that her crush could have been killed at four-years-old, "How did you know that?" asked JJ.

"My mom loved writing a journal, so every day until her death she would write about her day," said Spencer as he ended up using his eidetic memory to recite what his mother wrote about Gary Michaels and how his uncle arrested him later on that afternoon, "Despite losing my parents a week later, I'm grateful that my mom sensed that something was wrong causing her to save my life."

"Is Lou Jenkins still in prison?" asked Morgan.

"He ended up passing away from cancer seven years ago," said Spencer.

"So other than visiting your parents grave and visiting your adopted aunt, are you going to be doing anything else in Las Vegas?" asked Morgan.

"Other than visiting with family friends that I keep in contact with, I'm definitely going to visit the grief counselor that saw me after my parents' deaths since I get a Christmas card from her every year while I send her one too," said Spencer.

Xxxx

Five hours later Spencer entered his house and he smiled when he saw Clarissa putting a bowl of candy onto the coffee table in front of their couch.

"I thought that we could have a movie night before we head up to bed since I put Diana down an hour ago," said Clarissa.

Spencer tried to reach for a gummy worm when Clarissa lightly slapped his hand, "Not so fast because I thought that we would eat our snacks with these." said Clarissa as she held up two packages that contained disposable chopsticks.

Spencer blushed as he realized that Hotch ended up telling Clarissa, "Your brother told you about what happened?" asked Spencer.

"He did. I thought that using chopsticks to eat our favorite movie snacks would help you learn how to master using them," said Clarissa.

"So no training chopsticks?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa shook her head, "Nope."

"What movie are we watching?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa held up a DVD, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"Do we have time for me to take a quick shower and change before the movie?" asked Spencer as he gestured to the first-floor bathroom.

"Make it quick, and when I hear you turn off the water I will start making popcorn," said Clarissa as she took her husband's go-bag so she could sort it out.

Xxxx

15 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa started watching "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as they ate their movie snacks with chopsticks.

Xxxx

Halfway through the movie, Clarissa was grinning when Spencer was able to get 10 pieces of popcorn into his mouth with chopsticks she looked at her husband, "As soon as this movie is over, I will give you your reward."

Xxxx

Nearly an hour later Spencer was groaning when he saw the lingerie that Clarissa was wearing underneath her pajamas causing Clarissa to lead him to their bed.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lila Archer doesn't happen, but I decided to include Parker Dunley in this chapter.

Spencer smiled when he, Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy approached Alex at the boarding gate for their flight, "Are you going to tell me how you arranged time off so you could join us?" asked Spencer.

Alex hugged her godson, "Georgetown is currently on Spring Break while I made arrangements for us to give a recruitment seminar at the University of Las Vegas."

Diana who was on her daddy's shoulders grinned at Alex, "Hi gandma."

"Hello, Diana," said Alex as she smiled at the two-year-old girl before looking at Spencer, "Despite you being my godson causing me to love you like a son, I want you to start calling me mom."

"Really?" asked Spencer.

"I miss being called mom while you don't have anyone to call mom and dad," said Alex.

10 minutes later the Reid family, Lucy, and Alex were boarding their flight to Las Vegas.

Xxxx

Seven hours later Spencer was talking with Dr. Jesson, "As much as I would like to allow you to visit your aunt, but I ended up changing her medication yesterday so no visitors until next week so she can adjust to her new medication," said Dr. Jesson.

"I'm only here until Friday, so can you give her these books?" asked Spencer as he held up a pile of books.

Dr. Jesson took the books, "Certainly, and the next time you're in town Elena would appreciate your visit."

"There's been talk about my teammates and I all having two weeks of vacation at the same time in May. If that time off does happen, I will make sure that I come here," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was shaking his head at Clarissa and Diana.

Diana looked at her father, "Can we pwease go swim?" asked Diana.

"We can go back to the hotel and go swimming," said Spencer.

Dxxx

45 minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana were swimming in the hotel's swimming pool.

Xxxx

The next day Spencer stood at his parents' grave with Clarissa and Diana before speaking up, "Hi mom. Hi dad. Today is the 20 year anniversary of the last day I saw you two with uncle Daniel. If you two are watching me from Heaven, you two will know that I'm happy with how my life turned out," said Spencer as he wiped a tear before telling his parents about how their granddaughter is doing.

Ddddx

Five minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana were all laying flowers onto the two graves before Spencer heard a voice that he hasn't seen in almost 12 years.

"Is that you Spencer Reid?" asked an older man.

Spencer turned around to see 30-year-old Parker Dunley who was one of the few students who was always nice to him and got him help during the goalpost incident standing nine feet away from him, "Hi Parker," said Spencer as he gripped Clarissa's and Diana's hands tighter, "Parker Dunley, this is my wife of three years, three months, and 27 days Clarissa, and our two-year-old daughter Diana."

Parker looked at the pair of headstones that Spencer was standing by and realized that it was the 20th anniversary which would be a good reason why Spencer would be in town, "After your mom."

"Yeah," said Spencer sadly.

Clarissa rubbed her husband's shoulder, "Spence has told me about you and how you were one of the few students who was always nice to him, you protected him from bullies, while convincing him to help coach the basketball team."

Parker raised his eyebrows at Clarissa's southern accent, "My father worked at the same precinct as his uncle, so I knew that I needed to protect Spencer the best I could or I would be in deep trouble."

Diana looked up at her daddy, "Daddy?" asked Diana.

"Yes, Diana?" asked Spencer.

"Up," said Diana.

Spencer instantly scooped up his daughter and settled her onto his hip, "Can you say hi to Parker?" asked Spencer.

Diana looked at Parker, "Hi," said Diana shyly before putting her head into her daddy's neck.

Parker smiled, "She's cute."

"Other than being an extreme daddy's girl, she's smart like her daddy while having my outgoing personality," said Clarissa.

Parker noticed that Diana had her father's curly brown hair and mother's blue eyes, "Seems like she has gotten the best from both of you two since she's a perfect mixture of you two."

Clarissa smirked, "We know, and she also has my two older brothers wrapped around her finger just like I do."

Parker looked at Spencer, "So what are you doing these days since you were moving to Connecticut the day after graduation?" asked Parker.

"Aside from living in Washington D.C., I'm a profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI in Quantico, Virginia," said Spencer.

Parker smiled, "I always thought that you would most likely go down the law enforcement route because of your uncle."

"Uncle Gordon thought that I would like working for the BAU since he worked with profilers before," said Spencer.

"How is he these days?" asked Parker.

"You didn't hear that my aunt and uncle were killed by a drunk driver over five years ago?" asked Spencer.

Parker shook his head, "No. I'm sorry, man."

"It's okay. If it wasn't for Clarissa, I don't know what I would be doing with my life today," said Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked Parker.

"I met Clarissa two days after aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon were killed. After grieving for two weeks I ended up asking her out while we married on the two-year anniversary of the day we met," said Spencer.

Parker looked at Clarissa, "So what does the lovely Mrs. Reid do for work?" asked Parker.

"I'm a pediatric nurse at Children's National in Washington D.C.," said Clarissa.

At that moment Diana's stomach decided to growl causing Spencer to chuckle before looking at his wife, "I guess its time for lunch."

"Yes," said Clarissa.

Spencer looked at Parker, "Want to join us so I can find out what you're doing these days?" asked Spencer.

"Sure," said Parker as he started walking with the little family.

"So why were you visiting this cemetery?" asked Spencer.

"I was visiting my father's grave, and when I saw you I decided to approach you," said Parker.

"Uncle Gordon came out here for the funeral eight years ago," said Spencer.

"I know," said Parker.

Xxxx

20 minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, Diana, and Parker were sitting at a table in a diner when Spencer looked at Parker,

"So what are you doing these days?" asked Spencer as he took a bite of his chicken noodle soup.

"I own an art gallery in Los Angeles. I'm in town because of our 12-year high school reunion is happening two days," said Parker.

"Even though I always keep up with the news in this city, I haven't thought about attending it since there were classmates who always hated me for them losing their futures after the goalpost incident even though I gained popularity when I helped our school's basketball team win," said Spencer.

Parker looked at Spencer who was opening another package of saltine crackers for Diana, "Our former classmates who got expelled after the goal pole incident aren't allowed to attend any reunions. Also, there are a few classmates that want to make amends with you."

Spencer looked at his wife, "Do you want to go?" asked Spencer.

"Since you already attended my five-year high school reunion with me last year, we should at least attend this one since we're in town for the week because our work schedules might cause us to miss the next reunion," said Clarissa.

"We'll go since we made sure I packed a couple of suits while you packed a couple of dresses so we can have a couple of date nights while we're here," said Spencer.

"Who would watch your daughter?" asked Parker.

"My godmother and our live-in nanny ended up coming out here with us so we can have child-free evenings," said Spencer.

"Lucy?" asked Diana as she looked around for her nanny.

Spencer smiled at his daughter, "She's with your grandma Alex right now."

A minute later their food arrived causing all three adults to start eating their burgers and fries while Diana enjoyed eating her spaghetti while not caring about the mess she made because of knowing the spare clothes her father has in his messenger bag.

Xxxxx

An hour later Spencer knocked on the open door of Dr. Hannah Green's office, "Hello Dr. Green," said Spencer.

Hannah smiled when she saw her former patient while realizing that Spencer was the patient that came in under a name she never heard of as she stood up and pulled the 24-year-old man into a hug, "Well this is a nice surprise for my 1 PM appointment."

Spencer looked at the woman who was Gideon's age, "I'm in town for the 20th anniversary of my parents' deaths. I kept my promise of visiting you the next time I'm in town."

"Did you bring your wife and little girl?" asked Hannah as she thought about how she attended Ethel's and Gordon's funeral, attended Spencer's wedding, and attended Diana's baptism.

Spencer stepped aside to allow Clarissa and Diana into the room.

After Hannah hugged Clarissa she insisted that Diana sits on her lap before she looked at Spencer, "Whenever I see you or hear from you, you help remind me that there are former patients of mine that end up successful with their lives as adults."

Spencer looked at his daughter who was sucking on a sucker before he squeezed his wife's hand, "I know. Working for the BAU has shown me that I could have turned out worse."

"Your aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon would be proud of you along with your parents," said Hannah.

"I know," said Spencer just as Diana reached for the Rubik cube that was on Hannah's desk.

"Do you want your daddy to solve it?" said Hannah as she thought back to the first time she watched Spencer solve a Rubik cube in front of her.

Spencer laughed, "Diana loves to slip one of the various Rubik cubes I have at home into my messenger bag. There are times that I am solving one of my Rubik cubes as a way to stim." said Spencer as he thought about his 2×2 cube, 3×3 cube, 4×4 cube, and his 5×5 cube.

Diana pointed at her father's messenger bag, "Look in your bag daddy."

Spencer shook his head as he started to look through his messenger bag, and he laughed when he pulled out his 5×5 cube, "Your such a silly girl, baby girl." said Spencer.

Clarissa took the Rubik cube from her husband and started twisting it around while making sure her husband isn't watching before passing the 5×5 Rubik cube back to her husband while starting a stopwatch so she could time her husband.

Hannah watched Spencer solve one of the hardest Rubik cube, "She will grow out of that nickname if you two eventually have another little girl."

"I know. We talked about waiting until I'm 25 to try for our second child so Diana can be three and a half when she becomes a big sister," said Spencer as he continued to quickly solve his Rubik cube.

"When you two finally have another child, I expect baby pictures since I like to display accomplishments of my past successful patients," said Hannah as she gestured to the bulletin board that contained pictures of Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana while including newspaper articles that deals with Spencer's FBI career.

"I promise," said Spencer as he held up the solved Rubik cube causing Clarissa to groan when she stopped the stopwatch.

Hannah looked at the clock before looking at Spencer, "We only have a half-hour left until my next appointment," said Hannah just as Diana yawned.

"Its definitely nap time for Diana, so I hope you don't mind if we leave early," said Spencer.

"Not at all," said Hannah.

A few minutes later Spencer who was carrying a sleeping Diana left his former psychologist's office with Clarissa.

Xxxxx

Two evenings later Clarissa was tying her husband's tie before looking at her husband who opted to wear his contacts instead of his glasses, "You're going to be fine. If anyone tries to go after you, you can arrest them for assaulting a federal agent since my brother had you bring your badge and Glock," said Clarissa before she put on her high heeled shoes.

Two minutes later there was knocking on their hotel room door, and a few seconds later Alex and Lucy entered the room with Diana.

Lucy took in the sight of Spencer wearing one his best suits with a red tie and Clarissa who was wearing a short-sleeved red knee-length red dress with a red cardigan that belonged to her husband while having her long dark brown hair was pulled into a single French braid. "You two look lovely."

"I called a cab for you guys," said Alex.

"How long until it gets here?" asked Clarissa.

"10 minutes," said Alex.

Diana looked at her mommy and daddy, "You two look pretty."

Clarissa smiled at her daughter, "Thank you, sweetie."

Spencer looked at his daughter, "You be good for grandma Alex and Lucy, and we will see you in the morning for breakfast."

"OK, daddy," said Diana.

After Spencer and Clarissa hugged and kissed their daughter, the young married couple headed outside to wait for their taxi.

Xxxx

Spencer and Clarissa entered Spencer's old high school, and a minute later they met up with Parker who had their name tags ready for them.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

"I already planned that we sit with a few members from our class's basketball team," said Parker.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa entered the gym hand in hand while Parker led them to a table that contained a few basketball players that were on the team with Parker while ignoring the whispers from past students who saw him with Parker.

"Look who I found in town," said Parker as Spencer pulled out a chair for Clarissa to sit down in before taking a seat in the chair next to Clarissa.

"You definitely have gotten taller Spencer, and you ended up getting married before me." smiled Jacob as he took in the sight of Spencer's wedding band that was on Spencer's left ring finger before introducing his fiancée to Spencer.

"I ended up dealing with a growth spurt in college, and this is my wife Clarissa," said Spencer as he introduced some of the basketball team while the men he introduced either introduced their wives, fiancées, or girlfriends.

"Nice to meet you guys," said Clarissa, causing everyone to realize that Spencer married a southern girl.

"So when did you get married?" asked Lucas.

"We got married on November 30th of 2002 in my wife's hometown of Manassas, Virginia," said Spencer as he ended up telling his former classmates about how he met his wife while listening to condolences after he mentioned that his aunt and uncle died two days prior to meeting Clarissa.

Xxxx

After Spencer explained about his aunt and uncle and condolences went around, Samuel's wife Jessica looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "Do you two have any children?" asked Jessica.

Spencer and Clarissa beamed as they thought about their little girl.

"We have a two-year-old daughter named Diana. Right now she's with her nanny and my godmother who both insisted on coming out here with us since I'm in town for the 20th anniversary of my biological parents deaths," said Spencer while noticing a few sad smiles from past students who remembered that Spencer was raised by his aunt and uncle since his parents were killed in a car accident when he was four.

"What are you doing for work that would require a nanny?" asked Jessica.

"I'm a profiler for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit down in Quantico, Virginia," said Spencer as he ended up explaining about what he does for work.

"I always thought that you would be doing big things in your life," said Lucas.

"So what do you do Clarissa?" asked Lucas's wife Bethany.

"I'm a pediatric nurse at Children's National in Washington D.C. making me on-call 24/7 like my husband while I work third shift one week a month," said Clarissa.

"I'm also a nurse," smiled Jessica.

At that moment, two 30-year-old women came over causing a few basketball players to glare at them, "So little Spencer Reid finally showed up," said Alexa Libson.

Spencer turned around from his spot causing him to see Harper and Alexa who were both 17 on the day of the goalpost incident and how their boyfriends ended up in jail that day. He then noticed the lack of wedding or engagement rings on their left ring fingers causing him to realize that he has done much better than them, "Its Dr. Spencer Reid," said Spencer as he ended up standing up while Clarissa also stood up too and rested a hand on her husband's back.

Clarissa gave Harper and Alexa the Hotchner glare before smirking at her husband, "I would actually have you go by Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid, Spence."

Alexa took in the sight of the beautiful younger woman, "Who are you?" asked Alexa.

Clarissa held up her left hand and showed off her late mother-in-law's engagement ring and her gold wedding band, "I'm Spencer's wife of over three years, Clarissa Reid," said Clarissa before smirking, "I know about everything that you two did to my husband. I certainly treat him much better than you two women did," smirked Clarissa as she turned around and grabbed her husband's tie and pulled him into a kiss while ignoring the wolf whistles from the men that got along with her husband.

As soon as Spencer broke out of the kiss he smirked at his wife before whispering in her ear, "As soon as we get back to the hotel we should continue what you're doing."

Clarissa blushed before smirking at her husband, "Better keep that promise tonight because tomorrow morning we have to focus on being parents to our beautiful two-year-old daughter while enjoying the rest of our vacation before we head back to DC so we can go back to being known as the profiler and the nurse by my two older brothers."

Alexa rolled her eyes, "Your daughter must not like having you as her father when it comes to your rambling and statistics."

Spencer smirked as he pulled out his wallet and showed off a picture of a grinning two-year-old Diana on his shoulders, "She's an extreme daddy's girl who is showing signs of being a genius like me while having her mother's outgoing personality," smirked Spencer before looking at his wife, "Should we go dance for a bit before I end up having to tell my former classmates about what I did with my life due to being valedictorian?" asked Spencer.

"We certainly should, and luckily they're currently playing the song that we danced to during our first dance as husband and wife," said Clarissa.

Spencer led his wife to the dance floor.

A minute later Clarissa looked at her husband as they danced on the dance floor, "You OK, Spence?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes. I know that at 24-years-old, I'm working my dream job that allows me to make this country a safer place, married to one of the most beautiful girls in the world, while having a beautiful daughter who adores me, I know that I won it all," said Spencer as he twirled his wife on the dance floor.

Xxxx

Three hours later Spencer and Clarissa were undressing each other while passionately making out before falling into their hotel bed.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided not to do Machismo due to the timeline for that episode not fitting this timeline, so this chapter deals with Charm and Harm.

Spencer and Clarissa quietly crept into Diana's bedroom and they smiled as they watched their little girl wake up and react to the big stuffed bunny that was sitting at the foot of Diana's bed.

"Bunny!" squealed Diana as she got out from under her covers and crawled over to her new toy.

Spencer smiled at his daughter, "Happy Easter, Diana."

Clarissa thought about the trip she and Spencer made to Build A Bear Workshop to make Diana's bunny while Spencer spoke into a voice recorder, "What are you going to name her?" asked Clarissa.

Diana looked at her bunny who was wearing a yellow dress. "Anne."

"After Anne Shirley?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded as her messy curly brown hair bounced, "Yes."

Spencer sat on his daughter's bed and looked at his daughter, "May I please show you something cool?" asked Spencer as he gestured to Anne.

Diana nodded.

Spencer took the stuffed bunny and gave it a hug causing his voice to sound.

"Daddy loves you so much, baby girl," said the bunny with Spencer's voice.

Diana's eyes went wide causing her to take the stuffed bunny and hug it.

"Daddy loves you so much, baby girl," said the bunny with Spencer's voice.

Diana grinned at her father, "I love my bunny."

Clarissa looked at her daughter, "You can play with Anne later because its time for you to get into the dress that Lucy made for you to wear today before we have breakfast and leave for church," said Clarissa as she thought about the white dress with lavender colored roses and how Diana was going to wear her old Easter hat that belonged to her when she was a little girl.

Spencer looked at Clarissa who was already wearing the dress that Lucy made for her with the same fabric that Diana's dress was made from while thinking to the new suit that consisted of light gray dress pants, a lavender dress shirt, a purple tie, a button-up grey vest, and a light grey suit jacket that a tailor measured him for, "I'll go put on my new suit."

Dxxxx

30 minutes later Lucy was taking a picture of the Reid family in their new outfits for Easter Sunday before the family of three and Lucy left for 8 AM Easter service.

Xxxxx

A couple of hours later Spencer and Clarissa were eagerly helping their daughter search for Easter eggs during the Easter egg hunt that their church was having for the kids while thinking about the additional Easter egg hunt that they were going to have for Diana after nap time.

Xxxx

A few nights later, Spencer quietly snuck into Diana's room and he smiled at his peacefully sleeping daughter who was hugging her new friend Anne as he ran a gentle hand through Diana's growing curls, "Daddy loves you so much, baby girl," said Spencer softly.

Diana opened her eyes and grinned when she saw her daddy causing the father and daughter to hug, "I wuv you, daddy."

Spencer kissed his daughter on the forehead, "Go back to sleep." said Spencer as Diana closed her eyes.

Xxx

After watching his daughter sleep for five minutes he headed to the master bedroom where he saw the light on in the master bathroom causing Spencer to see Clarissa waiting for him in her robe and their clawfoot tub filled with steaming water and bubbles.

"I thought that we could take a bubble bath together before we get some sleep," said Clarissa as she removed her robe causing Spencer to quickly undress before the two 24-year-olds quickly got into the bathtub.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to skip Secret and Lies while going straight to The Fisher King Parts 1 & 2 with an AU twist due to my OC Elena Brown who is Spencer's paranoid schizophrenic adoptive aunt who was introduced in chapter 10.

Spencer looked at Clarissa, Lucy, and Diana as they sat down for breakfast, "I just have to stop at the BAU to pick up a couple of things before we catch our flight for Las Vegas," said Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "I'm glad that we both snagged two weeks off."

"Me too," said Spencer.

"Is Aaron still giving us a ride to the airport?" asked Clarissa.

"He is, so I'm leaving the BAU with him," said Spencer.

"I see unca Aaron?" asked Diana.

Clarissa smiled at her daughter, "Uncle Aaron's driving us to the airport, sweet pea."

"Yay!" cheered Diana.

Lucy looked at Diana, "While mommy finishes up on packing and your daddy stops at the office, should we pack an activity bag for you for the flight?" asked Lucy.

"Yes," said Diana.

Xxxx

Over an hour later Spencer was heading to his desk while he heard Morgan talk to Elle.

"You can go on believing that if you want to, but I am not answering my cell phone," said Morgan.

"Okay," said Elle as she clinked her coffee mug with Morgan's.

Morgan noticed Spencer slipping a few things into his messenger bag, "Oh, there he is. Pretty boy. Last chance. I can get my man to swing you a hotel room for practically nothing. Even you might get a little loving out there," said Morgan.

Elle inwardly smirked as she thought about how Spencer has more game than Morgan while thinking about Spencer telling her that Clarissa also got the next two weeks off so they could have a family vacation in Las Vegas for a much happier reason.

"Thanks anyway," said Spencer.

"Come on, Reid. Live a little?" asked Morgan.

"I have to go. I'm going home since I promised aunt Elena that I would visit during my annual leave while there are a few childhood friends that I want to catch up with," said Spencer before noticing that his ride back to D.C. was getting ready to leave his office, "Have a good one, guys."

"Bye," said Elle.

Xxxx

10 minutes later Spencer was in the front passenger seat of Hotch's car.

"All packed for Vegas?" asked Hotch.

"Yes, and I appreciate you driving Clarissa, Lucy, Diana, and I to the airport," said Spencer.

"I want to hug my sister and niece goodbye," said Hotch.

"I'm happy that Clarissa was able to get time off again since she took time off in March to help me get through the 20th anniversary of my parents' deaths," said Spencer.

"How did she manage to get time off?" asked Hotch.

"With all the overtime she had to pull last month for one of the nurses, her boss told her that the next time I'm on annual leave, she will get the same amount of time off too," said Spencer.

"Do you think this vacation will give me another niece or finally give me a nephew to spoil?" asked Hotch.

Spencer blushed a bit, "I don't know who's worse when it comes to talking about wanting another niece or nephew to spoil, Sean or you."

Hotch laughed.

Xxxx

An hour and a half later, Hotch looked at Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana, "You three have fun on your family vacation," said Hotch.

Clarissa hugged her oldest brother, "We will, and I can't wait to work up my tan in the desert."

Hotch knelt to his niece's eye level and hugged Diana, "I'm going to miss you Diana, but have fun getting to see your daddy's home state while spending time with your great aunt."

Diana grinned at her uncle, "I swim in Lake Mead and see snakes."

Lucy looked at Hotch, "I'll make sure that these three stay out of trouble."

A few minutes later the Reid family and Lucy were heading into the airport to catch their flight to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Xxxxx

Spencer and Clarissa entered Bennington Sanitarium with Diana on Clarissa's hip when Dr. Jesson approached them.

"I'm glad to see you three back here so soon, and your aunt got excited when she found out in one of your letters that you three were coming out here again," said Dr. Jesson.

"I was given two weeks off since my team needed time to decompress," said Spencer.

"And when I told my boss that Spence was given two weeks off, she forced me to take two weeks off due to all the double shifts I had to pull last month," said Clarissa.

"So is aunt Elena having a good day?" asked Spencer as he thought about the policy that Bennington had when it came to children visiting relatives in the hospital.

"She currently is, and she's waiting for you three in her room so it's easier on the other patients when Diana is around," said Dr. Jesson.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "Ready?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer nodded, "Yes."

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana entered Elena's room where Elena was writing in her journal.

"Hi aunt Elena," said Spencer.

Elena looked up from her journal, "Spencer," said Elena as she got up and hugged her adopted nephew before hugging Clarissa and Diana, "How long are you three in town for?" asked Elena.

"So we're here for two weeks," said Spencer as he and Clarissa sat down with Diana on his lap, "Here's the Margery Kempe book you've been asking for."

Clarissa handed Elena the book.

A minute later Elena was smiling at her adopted nephew, "That particular book is one of her minor works."

"She's your favorite, and you already have her major works," smiled Spencer.

"Thank you, Spencer," said Elena.

"Your welcome," said Spencer.

Elena looked outside and noticed how beautiful it was outside, "I hope that every minute isn't going to be spent here with me."

"We planned a bunch of adventures for us," said Clarissa.

"Like what?" asked Elena.

Spencer and Clarissa started talking about the plans they had.

Xxxx

After a half-hour of talking Elena noticed that Diana was getting restless, "You three should head out and enjoy your afternoon," said Elena.

"We'll stop by tomorrow," said Spencer.

Xxxx 

An hour later a life vest clad Diana was happily splashing around in the outdoor hotel swimming pool with her father while a bikini-clad Clarissa worked on her tan.

Xxxx

Three hours later Spencer and Clarissa were sitting in front of their laptop and they smiled when they saw Hotch and Haley's faces.

"Jack's taking a nap right now," said Haley.

"It's OK, Haley," said Clarissa.

"How's Vegas?" asked Hotch.

"Much warmer than DC, but I'm glad to be home in Las Vegas for much happier reasons this time," said Spencer.

Haley looked at her sister-in-law, "You got a tan going on."

"We spent three hours by the outdoor pool today," said Clarissa before smirking at her husband, "I had to tell a bunch of women to back off from my husband when they saw him interact with Diana."

Spencer blushed while Hotch and Haley laughed before Hotch realized that he didn't hear his niece's chatter.

"Where is my niece?" asked Hotch.

"Spending three hours in the water and sun tired her out. Lucy took Diana to her room so we can spend the evening together since we're going stargazing tonight," said Spencer.

"How was the visit with your aunt?" asked Haley.

"It went well, and we're visiting her again tomorrow," said Spencer just as the oven timer went off.

"We're going to eat dinner now, so how about we video chat the same time tomorrow?" asked Hotch.

"That will work," said Clarissa.

"Give Diana a kiss from us," said Hotch.

"We will," said Clarissa before exchanging goodbyes with her brother and her sister-in-law before closing the laptop and smirked at her husband, "What do you say about having some mommy and daddy time before we go out to eat with Diana and Lucy?" asked Clarissa as she reached over for her husband's polo shirt and removed it.

Xxxx

Later on that night Spencer, Clarissa, Lucy, and Diana were getting themselves settled onto blankets and pillows that they laid down on the Mojave Desert grounds so they could enjoy a couple of hours stargazing in the desert before they headed back to their hotel.

Xxxx

The next morning Spencer and Clarissa were heading up the stairs at Bennington Sanitarium with Diana on Spencer's hip when a nurse stopped Spencer before they could go into the room that Elena was currently in.

"Oh, doctor Reid," said the nurse.

Spencer and Clarissa stopped walking while the nurse rummaged through her desk while Clarissa took her daughter.

"Someone delivered this to the desk last night for you," said the nurse as she held up an envelope.

"What?" asked Spencer as he made his way over to the nurse.

A few seconds later Spencer was pulling out a skeleton key and a note out of a small envelope before Spencer read the note, ""She will die unless you save her, Dr. Reid." Call Gideon. He knows. " read Spencer as he quickly pulled out his phone.

After getting off the phone, he looked at Clarissa who had Diana on her hip, "I think you, Lucy, and Diana should stay here in Vegas while I head back to Quantico."

"What's going on?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer covered Diana's ears, "Elle got arrested in Jamaica, Hotch got a phone call, and a head was sent to Gideon's cabin."

Clarissa's eyes went wide as she gave her husband a quick kiss, "Stay safe."

"Bye-bye, daddy," said Diana as she gave her daddy a sloppy kiss.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer was on a commercial flight back to Washington DC while taking the nap that Gideon told him to take during the long flight.

Later on that night, Spencer was in the bathroom texting Clarissa.

HALEY JUST SHOWED UP AT THE BAU, AND I AM WONDERING IF YOU WERE CONTACTED AT ALL WITH ANY CLUES? ~ SR

A minute later his phone vibrated.

NO ONE CONTACTED ME EXCEPT HALEY SINCE SHE WANTED TO KNOW IF DIANA AND I ARE SAFE, AND DETECTIVE HYDE HAS UNDERCOVER FEMALE OFFICERS BEING OUR GUARDS. ~ CR

Xxxx

After Hotch ordered Elle to go home, Spencer looked at Morgan, "When I talked to Gideon at the airport, he told me to get some sleep during the five-hour flight," said Spencer.

"Did you?" asked Morgan.

"Slept the entire time since I ended up doing some stargazing the night before," said Spencer.

"You also look like you spent some time in the sun," said Morgan.

"Spent time swimming laps in the outdoor swimming pool at the hotel I stayed at," said Spencer.

Xxxx

Garcia looked at the finished riddle with Spencer, ""The path to the end began at his start. To find her first calm her long-broken heart. She sits in a window with secrets from her knight. Is it an adventure that keeps him out of her sight?"" recited Garcia before looking at Spencer, "Another puzzle?" asked Garcia.

"It's a riddle," said Spencer as he wheels in his brain turned before reciting the poem from earlier, "Ever would it be night, but always clear day. That'd be... that'd be a bright light." recited Spencer before he quickly flashed back to when he arrived at Bennington before realizing the answer to the earlier riddle, "It's never night in Las Vegas."

"Excuse me?" asked Garcia.

Spencer quickly ran to the phone and dialed a number, "I need to be connected to the field office closest to Las Vegas, Nevada, immediately," said Spencer before he heard another voice, "Hi. This is Dr. Spencer Reid with the Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico. Look, I need my aunt picked up and brought to Virginia in protective custody as soon as possible. We're searching for an unsub who shot one of our agents today, and I think he might know my aunt, and I believe she may be in danger. Yes. She's at the Bennington Sanitarium in Las Vegas. Her name's Elena Brown. She's a patient there," said Spencer before hanging up.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the men's room calling Clarissa.

"Is everything OK, Spence?" asked Clarissa.

"Aunt Elena is being transported to Quantico. Your brother and I both want you to stay where you are with your security detail," said Spencer.

"OK," said Clarissa.

"I'll call you as soon as I can with an update. As soon as the unsub is arrested and put away I will return to Las Vegas with aunt Elena," said Spencer.

"Please stay safe," said Clarissa.

"I promise," said Spencer.

"Love you," said Clarissa.

"Love you too," said Spencer before hanging up.

Xxxx 

Two hours later Spencer was sitting at his desk with the bag that contained the riddle when Garcia approached him.

"She's OK... Your aunt. Agents picked her up. She's flying here right now," said Garcia as she sat on the edge of Spencer's desk.

"I forgot that she, uncle Gordon, and my mom used to read me this poem. It's funny, huh?" asked Spencer.

Garcia looked at the young man who has lost so much at a young age when it came to his biological parents and adoptive parents, "Funny?" asked Garcia.

"Should have realized sooner than that. Nobody knows things like the fact that JJ collects butterflies except for me. People tell me their secrets all the time. Think it's cause they know I don't have anyone to betray them to... I kept aunt Elena a secret from you guys until after Ted Bryar took Elle hostage. I... I tell her pretty much everything," said Spencer while knowing that he was telling the partial truth.

"I don't think anyone would mind," said Garcia.

"Do you know that I write her a letter every day?" asked Spencer.

"That's nice," said Garcia.

"It depends on why I write her," said Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked Garcia.

"I write her letters so I don't feel so guilty about not visiting her while feeling guilty about having her sister move with me to New Haven only to die over six years later," said Spencer.

"Your adoptive parents wanted you to be properly supervised when you attended Yale, and like you told me before they were killed by someone who vowed revenge," said Garcia.

Xxxx

Spencer was about to go out the door when Elena looked at her nephew, "You better come back safe because I don't know if I can handle losing you like my sister," said Elena.

Spencer hugged his aunt as he whispered into his aunt's ear so JJ and Garcia couldn't hear.

"I promise, and please don't mention Clarissa or Diana since no one is supposed to know about them," whispered Spencer.

Elena nodded, "Now go save that girl, Spencer," said Elena.

Spencer quickly left the room with Hotch and Morgan when Garcia looked at Elena.

"What did Reid whisper to you?" asked Garcia.

"He told me to write in my journal," said Elena as she reached into her bag and pulled out her latest journal.

Xxxx

The next morning Spencer was reading to his aunt on the jet while being excited about getting to spend the rest of his vacation with Clarissa and Diana before he and Clarissa had to go back to work.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts four months after the last chapter so now two and a half year old Diana is wearing glasses like both of her parents (Even though Spencer wears his contacts during cases, but for the next couple of chapters he is wearing his glasses like he did on the show).
> 
> When Clarissa started at Children's National in June of 2003, she decided to earn a Bachelor Science of Nursing since she wants to work her way up to being a Nurse Practitioner. So right now, Clarissa's working on her Masters Science of Nursing Degree since she earned her bachelor science of nursing degree in May of 2005 when she was 23 years old.
> 
> With now dong P911 for this story I have to say that I will be sad that this story is close to being marked complete since this story ends at Revelations, but with how there were demands that I write this prequel to Spencer's Secret Wife, I am pleased to say that there will be an upcoming sequel for this story and Spencer's Secret Wife.

Clarissa looked at her husband who was cutting up pancakes for their two and a half-year-old daughter, "Since your birthday is less than two weeks away, is there anything special you want to do?" asked Clarissa.

"How about have another family portrait done?" asked Spencer.

"Wonderful idea," said Clarissa before looking at her husband and daughter who were both overdue for haircuts, "Are you two ready for me to trim your hair after breakfast?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"Yes," said Diana.

Xxxx

20 minutes later Diana was watching her mommy wash and cut her daddy's hair before it was her turn to get her hair cut.

Xxxx

Later on that afternoon Spencer entered the library and smiled when he saw Clarissa sitting on one of the couches with her laptop and a few textbooks out causing him to walk over to one of their bookshelves and grab a book to read, "Diana's finally asleep for her afternoon nap." said Spencer.

"At least I have some time today to work on my Masters Science of Nursing degree so I can be one step closer to becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner," said Clarissa.

"How is your degree coming along?" asked Spencer.

"With how much progress I have made, I know that I will earn this degree next May," said Clarissa as she started to explain what she had to do.

Xxxx

When Clarissa was finished, Spencer looked at his wife, "Are you thinking about bumping your future Master's degree into a doctorate?" asked Spencer.

"I decided that a Masters would be enough since having one Dr. Reid in the family enough until Diana and any other children we have collect PhDs like you," said Clarissa before she started to focus working on her degree.

Xxxx

Two nights later Spencer was walking in the hallway outside the glass doors of the entrance of the BAU when he saw Elle standing by the elevators.

Elle smiled nervously at Spencer, "Well, if it isn't Dr. Reid."

Spencer took in the sight of his female teammate that he hadn't seen in four months and walked towards her, "Elle. Wow."

Elle took in the sight of Spencer's shorter hair, "Nice haircut."

Spencer ran a hand through his curls that Clarissa slicked back a bit, "Thanks," said Spencer before seeing Elle's shorter hair, "I like your haircut, too."

Elle smiled, "Is that a boys' regular?" asked Elle.

"Yeah, it is. Do you not like it?" asked a self-conscious Spencer.

Elle smiled, "It's totally you."

"So you're... Okay?" asked Spencer nervously as Hotch approached them.

Hotch looked at Elle, "I didn't think you were back till next week."

Elle held up her phone, "I got a text message, so..."

Hotch shook his head, "Then it was a mistake."

"Is there a case?" asked Elle.

Hotch shook his head, "Not until you're healthy."

"Yesterday I found myself looking forward to watching a soap opera," said Elle.

Spencer thought about his love of soap operas causing Clarissa to record all of them, "Which one?" asked Spencer.

Hotch shook his head as he thought about the obsession with soap operas that his brother-in-law has.

Elle started to use the puppy-dog eye trick that she watched Spencer use on his brother-in-law countless of times, "Please, can you put me back to work, Hotch?" asked Elle.

Hotch thought about the notes he received from Elle's last check-up, "Doctor hasn't cleared you for the field."

"Please, Hotch," begged Elle.

Hotch shook his head, "You need more time."

Elle thought about how she could barely handle being in her apartment, "I've been out for four months. What I need is to go back to work."

Hotch passed Elle a file, "We're going to Cleveland. Reid's going to the Crimes Against Children Division. Go with him..."

"But I can," said Elle.

Hotch gave Elle a stern look, "Or go home," said Hotch before walking away.

Elle looked at Spencer who had a slight smirk on his face, "I'm all yours, Dr. Reid."

Xxxx

10 minutes later Elle was driving Spencer and herself to College Park, Maryland when Spencer looked at Elle, "Just so you know, Clarissa's the one who cuts my hair," said Spencer.

"Does she cut Diana's hair too?" asked Elle.

"She does," said Spencer.

"How is Diana?" asked Elle.

"She just started wearing glasses last week. She is excited about wearing glasses just like Clarissa and me," said Spencer.

"That's so adorable," said Elle before looking at Spencer, "Was Clarissa working third shift when you got called in?" asked Elle.

"She doesn't have her week of third shift until October 16th," said Spencer.

Xxxx

Spencer sighed in relief when he saw Hotch and Katie come forward with Peter. A few seconds later he smiled gently at a teary-eyed Peter, "Want to see a cool magic trick?" asked Spencer gently.  
Peter nodded as Katie set him down.

Spencer pulled a quarter out of his pocket, and after doing a few sleight of hand tricks, Peter looked at Spencer who was holding out his empty hands.

"Where is it?" asked Peter.

"How about you check the pocket of your shirt," suggested Spencer.

Peter reached into his pocket and his eyes went wide when he saw the quarter, "How did you do it?" asked a wide-eyed Peter.

Spencer smirked, "A magician never reveals his secrets.”

Xxxx

The next night Spencer looked at Clarissa while they were getting ready for bed, "I don't think that Elle's ready to come back to work." said Spencer as he started to explain about how he ran into Elle and how she tried to throw him under the bus.

Xxxx

After Spencer was finished, a wide-eyed Clarissa looked at her husband, "She didn't have a mandatory psych evaluation?" asked Clarissa, as she thought about how it was protocol for her husband to have a psych evaluation after doing his first kill shot.

Spencer shook his head, "She didn't."

"Just make sure to talk to her every day. Also, invite her over for dinner since Diana misses her," said Clarissa.

Spencer chuckled as he thought about how Elle fell in love with his little girl, "I tell her since she can't refuse to spend time with Diana."

Clarissa looked at her husband, "If anything traumatic ever happens in the field, I want you to promise me that you'll cooperate with the psychologist that is assigned to you while you don't return to work until Aaron clears you."

"I promise," said Spencer, as he didn't realize that in about four months he would be dealing with a trauma that would affect him for the rest of his life.

"Now we should get some sleep since we both have work tomorrow," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were fast asleep in each other's arms.


	37. Chapter 37

Spencer and Clarissa woke up to their alarm at 6 AM, and 10 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa who were both wearing their gym clothing were putting a still sleeping Diana into her jogging stroller so they could go for a three-mile run.

Xxx

30 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa entered the house with a now awake Diana only to find Lucy in the kitchen making coffee while getting ingredients out for breakfast.

"Hi, Lucy," grinned Diana.

Lucy looked at the sweaty young parents as she thought about how every morning since Monday, she would come into the kitchen finding a note from the young parents stating that they went for a run and they were taking Diana with them, "How was your morning run?" asked Lucy.

"Ran three miles for the fifth morning in a row," said Spencer.

Diana looked up at her daddy, "You stinky, daddy." said Diana as she wrinkled her nose before looking at her mommy who had an arm wrapped around her daddy's waist, "You stinky too, mommy."

Lucy looked at Diana, "How about you help me make breakfast while mommy and daddy take a shower?" asked Lucy.

"OK," beamed Diana before her stomach growled.

"You can snack on some oranges while you help me cook," said Lucy as she took the two and a half-year-old girl from her father.

Clarissa looked at her husband, "Let's go take a shower, Spence," said Clarissa as she thought about the possible quickie they could squeeze in.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were taking a hot and steamy shower together.

Xxx

A half-hour later Clarissa looked at her husband as they sat down for breakfast, "Excited about your 25th birthday on Monday?" asked Clarissa.

"I am," said Spencer.

"I was thinking that we can celebrate your birthday on Sunday just in case your teammates want to do something on Monday," said Clarissa.

"That's probably a good idea," said Spencer before looking at his wife, "Have you scheduled an appointment with a photographer yet?" asked Spencer.

"Our appointment is on the 17th at 10 AM," said Clarissa.

"OK," said Spencer.

"After I pick out mine and Diana's dresses, we'll pick out your outfit together," said Clarissa.

"OK," said Spencer.

Xxxx

Spencer was sitting in Detective Portillo's office with Gideon when Gideon looked at Spencer who was drinking a bottle of water.

"How are you feeling about little Diana turning three in less than two months?" asked Gideon quietly.

"I'm sad since she'll be a preschooler next year," said Spencer softly

"So should I expect any news about Diana becoming a big sister soon?" asked Gideon.

Spencer thought about his nephew, "We want to wait until after Jack turns one."

At that moment Hotch and Elle entered the room.

Xxxx

As they were flying home, JJ concluded a phone call, "All right. Thank you," said JJ before hanging up and looked at her teammates, "Jacksonville P. D. found the remains of a body on the grounds of the cabin. They think it's Amber Canardo's old boyfriend."

"And 10 will get you 20 that DNA will match the first two victims," said Gideon.

Spencer walked away from the small kitchen area with a cup of tea so he could get some sleep when he got home, "At least the families will finally have closure."

"And we did save Tiffany Spears," said Morgan before looking at Spencer, "Excited about your 25th birthday on Monday?" asked Morgan.

"Part of me is excited, but I'm also sad," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Morgan.

"My 25th birthday means that this birthday marks 20 years since I got to celebrate my birthday with my parents while this birthday marks six years since I've celebrated my birthday with aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer, "I didn't get to celebrate 23 birthdays with my father, so I know what you're saying."

Xxxx

Three hours later Spencer quietly entered Diana's bedroom and he smiled at his sleeping daughter before giving Diana a gentle kiss on the forehead, "Daddy loves you so much, baby girl." said Spencer as he stroked his daughter's hair before leaving the bedroom.

Xxx

Five minutes later Spencer was in the master bathroom stripping himself so he could take a shower when the bathroom door opened causing Spencer to smile at his wife.

"Room for one more?" asked Clarissa as she licked her lips at the sight of her naked husband.

Spencer looked at his wife and thought about that after spending over five years and 10 months with Clarissa that she looks more beautiful than never, "There's always room for you, but I want to wash away the sweat from Florida."

"Aaron did send me a text grumbling about the humidity," smiled Clarissa as she closed the bathroom door and started to remove her pajama shorts and her husband's old MIT t-shirt.

A minute later Spencer and Clarissa were in the shower together.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts 12 hours after the last chapter.
> 
> Clarissa decided to celebrate Spencer's birthday a day early since they both have work on Spencer's birthday while knowing that there's a possibility that Spencer will do something with his team on the day of his birthday.

Clarissa looked at her husband as they changed out of their church clothing, "So what should we do this afternoon before we head over to Aaron's for your early birthday dinner?" asked Clarissa as she watched her husband change into jeans and a polo shirt.

"Go hiking at Rock Creek Park," said Spencer.

"We should definitely pack a picnic," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were getting into clothing that was suitable to wear on a hike before they packed a picnic basket while Diana finished up her nap.

Xxxx

An hour later Spencer was giving Diana a piggyback ride as he and Clarissa walked on the trails at Rock Creek Park.

Xxxx

Later on that evening Spencer was blushing while Clarissa, Hotch, Haley, little Diana, and Lucy sang Happy Birthday to Spencer.

After everyone was done singing, Spencer blew out the two candles that spelled 25 before Diana who was on her daddy's lap looked up at her daddy, "Can we please eat cake now?" asked Diana as she eyed the cake that she watched her mommy, auntie Haley, and Lucy make together while her daddy and uncle Aaron played with her cousin.

"Sure we can, baby girl," said Spencer.

Diana gave her father her 'Hotchner glare', "I no baby. I big girl."

Spencer's face saddened a bit before looking at his little girl, "No matter how big you get, you'll always be my baby girl," said Spencer before looking at Haley, "Is Jack going to get a taste of birthday cake before his upcoming first birthday?" asked Spencer.

Haley looked at her baby boy who was sitting in his high chair eying the birthday cake, "I think I will," said Haley.

A few minutes later the Reids, Hotchners, and Lucy were all eating birthday cake.

Xxxx

Three hours later Spencer stepped out of the master bathroom with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, and as soon as his glasses unfogged he groaned at the sight of his wife wearing nurse themed lingerie while holding a plate that held a piece of leftover birthday cake.

"How about I feed you some cake in bed?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer nodded while he felt his body react to the lingerie that Clarissa was wearing, and a minute later Spencer was sitting up in bed with Clarissa straddling him as Clarissa fed him birthday cake while knowing what would happen next.

Xxxxx

The next day Clarissa looked at her two and a half-year-old daughter as she held a tray that consisted of enough breakfast for her, Spencer, and little Diana, "Now go wake up daddy," said a whispering Clarissa.

"OK, mommy," said Diana.

30 seconds later Spencer felt his daughter on top of him.

"Wake up, daddy," said Diana.

A few seconds later Spencer had his glasses on and he looked at his smiling wife.

Clarissa kissed her husband on the lips, "Happy birthday, honey."

Spencer playfully grabbed Diana, "Thanks."

"We should eat since we both have to get ready for work," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later the family of three were eating breakfast together before Spencer and Clarissa got ready for work.

Xxxx

Later on that evening, Spencer entered the living room and he smiled when he saw Clarissa and Diana cuddling on the couch together watching cartoons together, "There are my two favorite girls." said Spencer.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Diana as she climbed off the couch and ran to her daddy.

Spencer swooped up his daughter and gave her a hug and a kiss, "I missed you today."

"I miss you too," said Diana.

"What about me?" asked Clarissa as she made her way to her husband.

Spencer kissed his wife, "I missed you too."

Clarissa thought about how her husband occasionally goes out to eat with his teammates so he's not isolating himself from his teammates, "How was your birthday dinner with your team?" asked Clarissa.

"It went well," said Spencer as he set down his daughter so he could reach into his messenger bag and pulled out a few books and gift cards, "These are gifts that I received from my teammates today."

Clarissa looked at the gifts, "Nice."

Diana looked up at her daddy, "Sweep wit you and mommy?" asked Diana.

Spencer and Clarissa looked at each other before Clarissa looked at her daughter, "Sure you can, sweetie." said Clarissa before looking at the clock and saw that it was 7:30 PM, "Its bath time."

Diana looked at her daddy, "You give me bath please."

"I can, baby girl," said Spencer as he swooped up his little girl.

Xxxx

An hour later Diana was fast asleep in bed between her parents who also decided that an early bedtime was calling their names.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer was in the round table room with his teammates.

"Over the past two months, the L. A. Field office has been tracking a series of 4 bank robberies in the L. A. Metro area. It's one individual wearing a black ski mask. He's highly skilled. It's his unique M. O. That put him squarely in our court. This happened two days ago," said JJ as she played the security camera footage that she was sent.

"He's making them undress?" asked Hotch.

"He takes their clothes and locks them in the vault, then he goes for the cash," said JJ.

"Smart. Nobody's going to run after him butt naked." joked Morgan.

"It's also a psychological advantage. Make the captives feel exposed, intimidated, and much less likely to fight back," said Spencer.

"That, and the Mac-10 he's waving around. Boy's got a lot of firepower," said Morgan.

"But why is this case for us?" asked Elle.

"Because in the last robbery, two things changed. One, he beat the security guard nearly senseless, and two, after he made everyone undress, he forced two pairs of victims together at gunpoint, then he made them simulate sex with each other," said JJ as she showed the faces of the four victims.

Elle noticed the age difference between the victims, "Woah."

"It's remarkable. By utilizing a practical MO the unsub has stumbled on to a psychological signature. It's fascinating," said Spencer.

"He's a sex offender now," said Elle.

"Fueled by violent rage. Only our unsub doesn't know it yet. If he did, he wouldn't be robbing banks anymore." said Gideon.

"So, he's a violent sex offender in denial," said JJ.

"And a sexual predator who's just escalated his crimes," said Hotch.

"He's a serial killer in the making," said Gideon.

After Hotch gave everyone a departure time, he looked at his teammates, "Can everyone except Reid please leave this room?" asked Hotch.

Morgan, JJ, Elle, and Gideon left the room and a minute later Hotch looked at Spencer who was trying to keep his emotions in check, "Are you sure your able to handle this case despite what happened to you nearly 13 years ago?" asked Hotch.

"If you're talking about the goal post incident that caused a bunch of my classmates to get expelled and registered as sex offenders, I can handle this case since I had a lot of therapy after that incident," said Spencer.

"I know, but If you need to step back from this case, please let me know," said Hotch.

"I promise," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was at his desk sending Clarissa a text message while knowing that JJ, Morgan, and Garcia thinks that he's texting his cat sitter.

I'M GOING TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. I LOVE YOU. ~ SR

A few seconds later Spencer felt someone ruffling his hair causing him to look up at Haley who had a slight smirk on her face, "Really, Mrs. Hotchner?" asked Spencer as he smoothed out his hair.

"I couldn't help it, Spencer," said Haley before looking serious at her brother-in-law, "Is Aaron in his office?" asked Haley.

"He is," said Spencer as his phone vibrated causing him to see a text from Clarissa.

YOU AND AARON BETTER STAY SAFE. LOVE YOU TOO. ~ CR

"Hopefully I'll see you later, Spencer," said Haley before heading towards the stairs that led to her husband's office.

Xxxx

As they were flying home from LA, a covered up Spencer was curled up on the couch on the jet while being unaware that Hotch and Gideon were both looking at him.

"Isn't it amazing that we got to watch him grow up for nearly six years?" asked a whispering Hotch as he thought back to meeting 19-year-old Spencer Reid when Clarissa brought a grieving Spencer along for lunch and the interactions they had before Spencer was placed on the same team as him.

"He was still in college for a couple of those years," whispered Gideon.

Hotch nodded in agreement, "When he told me that he was interested in this profession, I was worried about how he would cope with this job after losing so much at a young age," whispered Hotch before smiling a bit, "But I'm glad that he and my sister met when they did."

"Spencer told me that they are going to try for another baby soon since they decided to wait until after his 25th birthday," whispered Gideon.

Hotch smiled at the thought of getting another niece or a nephew to spoil since Clarissa told him that she opted for an IUD after Diana was born since they wanted to wait a couple of years to have their second child due to being 22-years-old when Diana was born.

"I just hope that this job never causes them martial problems," whispered Hotch as he thought about how his sister and Spencer's fast approaching anniversary as he watched his brother-in-law sleep.

Xxxx

Three hours later Spencer was carrying a sleeping Diana into the master bedroom just as Clarissa exited the master bathroom.

"Why do you have Diana?" asked a whispering Clarissa.

"With the case, I just worked, I need her close," said Spencer as he tucked his little girl into bed.

"She can sleep with us tonight, but I have plans for you tomorrow night," said Clarissa as she crawled under the covers on her side of the bed.

Spencer nodded as he crawled under the covers on his side of the bed, and a few seconds later he smiled when he felt Diana curl into his side, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," said Clarissa.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were fast asleep like their daughter.

Xxxx

The next evening Spencer smiled at the sight of Diana holding a toddling Jack's hand as they walked together in their backyard.

"Imagine Diana doing that with her little brother and sister when we finally have another child," said Clarissa.

"She would make a good big sister," said Spencer.

Clarissa smiled at her husband, "I scheduled a doctor appointment to get that IUD removed," smiled Clarissa.

"So you're ready for us to become parents again?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa nodded, "It might take you a couple of weeks to get me pregnant, but I can't wait to watch Diana be a big sister."

"Me too," said Spencer before he looked at his watch, "Aaron and Haley should be back in an hour."

"Do you think their talk is successful?" asked Clarissa as she thought about how upset her sister-in-law was when her brother didn't show up at Children's National.

"Hopefully," said Spencer.

Xxxx

Two days later a photographer was taking a picture of Spencer, Clarissa, and little Diana who were all dressed up for their family portrait.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There might be trigger warnings and one swear word in this chapter so please read at your own risk.

Spencer was sitting on the couch reading when Diana came over with a book, "Please read to me, daddy," said Diana.

Spencer smiled at his little girl and thought about how her language has been improving over the past couple of months while thinking about Diana telling him that she's not a baby anymore causing him to give her a new nickname, "Sure, bumblebee."

Diana passed her daddy her book about bumblebees causing Spencer to lightly chuckle as he thought about Diana's new obsession over bumblebees and honeybees, and a few seconds later Spencer was reading to his little girl.

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer looked at Clarissa as they ate dinner, "So when is your doctor appointment?" asked Spencer.

"Tomorrow morning at 8," said Clarissa.

Diana looked at her mommy, "Are you sick, mommy?" asked Diana.

Clarissa shook her head, "Mommy's not sick sweet pea, but I'm going to the doctor for a check-up."

"Why?" asked Diana.

"What do you think about daddy and I giving you your own little brother or sister like Jack to play with?" asked Clarissa.

Diana grinned, "I want a sister."

Spencer looked at his daughter while knowing that he had to explain pregnancy in an age-appropriate manner, "When mommy had you in her tummy, we knew that there was a 50% chance that you could be a boy or a girl," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "And when mommy told me that you were going to be a girl, I was so happy."

Clarissa looked at her daughter who was sporting French braids that her daddy pulled her hair into before breakfast, "Ready to sleepover at Nana Alex's house tonight?" asked Clarissa.

Diana nodded before Spencer looked at Lucy, "With Clarissa working third shift tonight and Diana sleeping over at my godmother's, I'm going to head to the office and work on more consults."

"OK," said Lucy.

Xxxx

15 minutes later Clarissa was driving to Children's National while Spencer drove little Diana to his godmother's before he collected his Volvo at home.

Xxxx

An hour and a half later Elle looked up from her desk and noticed Spencer sitting down at his desk, "I thought that you went home for the night," said Elle.

Spencer grabbed a piece of paper and wrote on it, and after he wrote his note he passed it to Elle.

CLARISSA'S WORKING THIRD SHIFT TONIGHT AND DIANA'S HAVING HER MONTHLY SLEEPOVER AT MY GODMOTHER'S HOUSE. SO INSTEAD OF STAYING IN AN EMPTY HOUSE FOR THE NIGHT, I DECIDED TO CATCH UP ON FILES HERE.

"OK," said Elle as she passed the note back to Spencer who crumpled it up and placed it into his pocket.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" asked Spencer as he looked at Elle and thought about how she lost a bit of weight.

"I went down to the cafeteria," said Elle.

"I brought enough leftovers for the both of us," said Spencer.

"Thanks," said Elle.

Xxxx

After briefing was over, Spencer was in Gideon's office sending Clarissa a text message.

GOING TO DAYTON, OHIO. ~ SR

Gideon looked at Spencer, "So why didn't you stay home?" asked Gideon.

"Clarissa's working third shift this week while Diana has a sleepover at my godmother's house tonight," Spencer quietly stated.

"So you didn't want to be in an empty house?" asked Gideon.

"As much as Merton loves cuddling with me, I just didn't want to sleep in a quiet house," said Spencer.

Zzzz

The next night, Spencer got out of the back seat of one of the SUVs with his suitcases in tow when Hotch looked at his teammates, "Everybody get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow," said Hotch.

Spencer followed Hotch, Morgan, Gideon, and JJ with his suitcases. After seeing that Elle wasn't with them he decided to see if she needed any help causing him to see a scared Elle, "What's up?" asked Spencer.

Elle looked at Spencer and noticed the concerned look on his face, "I think I left my glasses in the car."

Spencer headed towards Elle, "I'll keep you company."

Elle looked behind her shoulder, "No, it's all right. We got to get to sleep," said Elle as she made her way towards Spencer.

"I'll escort you to your room then," said Spencer.

Spencer and Elle headed into the hotel in silence where they met up with Hotch who handed them their room keys.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer did his infamous shave and a haircut knock on Elle's hotel room door, and a few seconds later Elle opened up the door.

"Hey," said Spencer.

"Hi," said Elle.

"You okay?" asked Spencer.

Elle looked at Spencer, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" asked Elle.

Spencer entered the room, "No, really, come right in," said Elle before grabbing the small bottles of alcohol.

Spencer glanced at the bottles in Elle's hands before giving Elle a look stating that they're not allowed to drink during cases.

"You want to check my ID?" asked Elle before she sat down and poured the bottles into a glass.

"I thought maybe... You might want to talk," said Spencer.

Elle scoffed at Spencer, "Don't go all profiler on me."

Spencer sighed, "Elle, you got shot in your own home, and then you came back to the BAU like nothing even happened, thinking you might want to talk isn't profiling. It's psych 101."

Elle stared at Spencer as she took a drink.

"Please?" begged Spencer as he used his eyes on Elle.

Elle reached for a small bottle and held it up to Spencer.

"I can't," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Elle.

"Because of losing five family members to drunk drivers, I refuse to drink alcoholic beverages," said Spencer before giving Elle his version of a 'Hotchner glare' that he picked up over the years, "If your going to kick me out for not drinking one bottle, I'll go straight to Hotch and tell him that you've been drinking."

Elle noticed the fierce determination in Spencer's eyes causing her to realize that Spencer never keeps anything from his brother-in-law.

"Then get some water. What I tell you, you can't tell anyone including Clarissa," said Elle.

Spencer nodded as he got up and grabbed a glass that he filled up with tap water, and as soon as he sat down, Elle looked at him.

"After he shot me. He reached into my wound so he could write on the wall in my blood. I was barely conscious, but I... But I could feel his hand in there... And sometimes it's like I can still feel it," said Elle.

"Elle... He's dead. You're... you're right here. You won," said Spencer.

Elle held up her glass, "Then here's to winning."

Spencer held up his glass of water before taking a drink.

Xxxx

After talking for a half-hour, Spencer looked at Elle, "I'm going to go get some sleep," said Spencer.

"Thanks for listening," said Elle.

"When it came to attending therapy at four, 12, and 19 I learned that talking helps, and Clarissa ended up being one of the best sounding boards for me since we both have a lot in common," said Spencer before looking at Elle, "Last month Clarissa made me promise her that if I ever deal with a traumatic experience in the field, that I'll accept help from the psychologist that I'm assigned to."

A few minutes later Spencer was getting into his pajamas before grabbing a picture of Clarissa and Diana and smiled at the picture of his two favorite girls, "I love you, Clarissa. I love you, Diana," said Spencer before staring at the picture for a minute before slipping the picture back into his messenger bag.

Xxx

A few evenings later, Spencer entered his house and he smiled softly when he saw Clarissa and Lucy putting dinner onto the table while Diana was already settled into her booster seat.

"I'm home," said Spencer.

Clarissa kissed her husband, "Welcome home, Spence."

"Its good to be home," said Spencer.

Diana grinned at her father, "Hi daddy."

Spencer gave Diana a quick kiss.

"I miss you, daddy," said Diana.

Spencer smiled at his little girl, "I missed you too, bumblebee."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm planning that in the next chapter Spencer will be addressing about Elle's actions since he just wanted to spend time with his two favorite girls before Clarissa has to go to work.


	40. Chapter 40

Spencer and Clarissa were at Party City with Diana when Clarissa looked at her daughter who was staring wide-eyed at the Halloween costumes, "What do you want to be for Halloween?" asked Clarissa as she thought about their favorite holiday being a week away.

Diana instantly pointed at a honeybee Halloween costume causing Spencer to form an idea as he looked at his wife, "What do you say about us dressing up as beekeepers?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa nodded, "I was thinking of the same thing."

Xxxx

15 minutes later the family of three were leaving Party City with their costumes.

Xxx

A few nights later Spencer entered the master bedroom and he smiled softly when he saw Diana already sleeping in their bed.

"She wanted to sleep with us," said Clarissa.

"I'm glad that she wants to sleep with us because of the case I'm leaving for tomorrow morning," said Spencer.

"Children?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer nodded, "I'm going to take a quick shower before joining you two girls in bed."

"OK," said Clarissa.

Xxx

15 minutes later Spencer crawled into bed, and Spencer smiled when Diana curled into his side.

"Night, Spence," said Clarissa.

Spencer smirked as he decided to use his nickname for Clarissa, "Night, Clara."

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were fast asleep.

Xxxx

Two days later, Spencer stood by the bus stop that Tracey got off at with his teammates.

"You know after his mom left Jeffrey probably resented the fact that his dad spends more time at work with other kids than with his own," said Morgan.

"He took out that rage on any kid he viewed, as having what he didn't," said Gideon.

"So Tracey's mom said the bus would have dropped her off here after school she was supposed to walk home with a neighbor," said JJ.

Spencer thought about Jeffery getting off of the same stop, "It's most likely when Jeffrey approached, but where he'd taken her?" asked Spencer.

"Such heavy patrolling in this town. How did he manage to take a little without being seen?" asked JJ.

"Because we taught him. Nobody's gonna think anything of two kids walking together. The buddy system, remember? In the process of educating the public, we educated a killer." said Morgan.

"When it's offseason from baseball, where would a 12-year-old kid hang out?" asked JJ.

"A park," said Gideon.

JJ looked at the woods surrounding the park, "Surrounded by woods."

Gideon looked at the three teammates that came with him, "Let's go."

Two minutes later Spencer was picking up Tracey's backpack and saw Tracey's name on it, "Tracey Belle's."

"He's got her in these woods. Split up," ordered Gideon.

At that moment Spencer started sprinting through the woods, and when he heard Tracey's screaming he sprinted towards the direction of Tracey's screaming to find Gideon restraining Jeffery.

"Enough!" ordered Gideon.

JJ grabbed Tracey, "Are you okay?" asked JJ.

"Yeah," said Tracey as she hugged JJ.

A minute later Morgan and Gideon were escorting Jeffery out of the woods while Spencer was giving eight-year-old Tracey a piggyback ride with JJ walking by his side.

Xxxxx

A few hours later Spencer looked at Morgan as they flew back to Quantico, "I should have said something," said Spencer.

"What?" asked Morgan.

"To Gideon or Hotch, or... Any of you guys. I talked to Elle that night, and... I knew she wasn't right, but. I should have told someone," said Spencer.

Morgan set down his MP3 player and leaned towards Spencer, "Reid. Listen to me. Do not do that to yourself. You were just trying to help a friend. You hear me? Don't go there, kid. Elle made her own choice. That's on her."

Spencer leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes.

Xxx

Four hours later Spencer quietly entered Diana's bedroom, and he smiled softly at his little girl who was sleeping peacefully.

After watching Diana sleep for a minute, he leaned down and kissed Diana's head, "Daddy loves you," whispered Spencer before quietly exiting the bedroom and headed towards the master bedroom where Clarissa was walking out of their master bathroom, "Why are you up?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa looked at her husband and noticed that he was wearing the same clothes that he put on two days ago causing her to realize that he had pulled an all-nighter while in Texas, "Nature called."

"Well I'm going to take a quick shower to wash the scent of the woods off of me," said Spencer as he scratched his chin and grimaced at the stubble that was growing, "And also shave since I haven't shaved over the past two days."

"Room for one more?" asked Clarissa.

Spencer smiled at his wife, "Always."

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were taking a steamy shower together, and when they were done, Spencer talked to Clarissa about his guilt over Elle before the young couple went to sleep.

Xxxx

The next evening Hotch looked at his brother-in-law as he thought about the conversation he had with Gideon, Clarissa, and Morgan about Spencer feeling guilty about not talking to anyone about his talk with Elle, "You promised Elle that the conversation you two had would be confidential," said Hotch.

"I know, but she was drinking. I threatened her that I would go straight to you if she didn't talk to me," said Spencer.

Hotch inwardly smirked as he thought about how Spencer reminded him of a younger him before he looked at his brother-in-law, "I shouldn't have allowed her to come back before she was ready."

"I still feel guilty of writing those daily letters to aunt Elena because those letters caused Randall Gardner to target us," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at his brother-in-law, "You told me that your aunt's doctor recommended that writing letters would be the best way to communicate with her, and no one is upset at you for writing those letters."

Xxxx

Two days later Spencer was going through his mail and his eyes went wide when he saw a letter from Elle causing Clarissa to look at her husband, "What is it?" asked Clarissa.

"A letter from Elle," said Spencer as he opened up the letter and quickly read it.

Spencer,

Even though I ended up resigning from the FBI and decided to move back to New York City. I have to confess that I enjoyed working with you the most while you became a little brother to me.

When it came to watching you and Clarissa together, I hope that someday I can find love and start a family like you did. I hope you don't mind me sending gifts for little Diana because I fell in love with your little girl.

I'm enclosing you an address in New York City that you can send me pictures of Diana and any other children that you and Clarissa have together since I want to see Diana grow up into a beautiful young woman.

Please don't blame yourself for me leaving because I shouldn't have returned when I did, and if you ever deal with a traumatic experience in the field please don't shut Clarissa and your teammates out like I did.

Elle Greenway.

A minute later Diana looked at her daddy, "Why you sad?" asked Diana.

Spencer looked at his little girl while feeling saddened at the thought about his little girl turning three in less than two months as he pulled his daughter onto his lap, "Auntie Elle is moving away, but she promised me that she will send you presents while I send her pictures of you."

Diana sighed, "I miss her."

"I'll be missing her too." said Spencer before looking at his little girl, "Maybe when we go to New York City to visit uncle Sean, we can go visit aunt Elle."

"OK," beamed Diana before looking at her daddy, "Can we pwease go to the park?" asked Diana.

"Sure, bumblebee," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana were heading off to the park.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to skip North Mammon so between Halloween and Empty Planet, North Mammon happened.
> 
> Emily Prentiss will be appearing in the next chapter, and I'm planning that she still finds out about Clarissa and little Diana at the same time as Morgan, JJ, and Garcia.

Hotch laughed when he saw Spencer and Clarissa dressed up as beekeepers while his adorable niece was dressed up as a bumblebee, "You three are really in the Halloween spirit," said Hotch as he knelt down to kiss his niece on the cheek, "You make an adorable bumblebee, Diana."

Diana gave her uncle a dimpled smile, "Thank you, unca Aaron."

Hotch got up to his full height and gave his baby sister a kiss on the cheek.

"With Diana's obsession over bumblebees right now, Spence and I agreed that we could dress up as beekeepers for our daughter," said Clarissa.

Spencer knelt down to his daughter's eye level, "What noise does a bumblebee make, Diana?" asked Spencer.

"Buzz," said Diana as she ran around her aunt, uncle, and cousin's house while making buzzing noises.

"So where's my adorable nephew?" asked Clarissa.

"Haley's getting him ready," said Hotch.

Diana looked up at her uncle, "Jack trick or treat with us?" asked Diana.

Hotch smiled at his niece as he saddened at the thought about his niece turning three in less than two months, "He's old enough to go trick or treating for the first time. With him being too young for candy, you can have some of his candy," said Hotch as he ran a hand through his nieces long curly brown hair.

A minute later Spencer and Clarissa were cooing at the sight of their one-year-old nephew dressed up as a bumblebee.

"When you told me that Diana's going to be a bumblebee and you two as beekeepers, I decided that Jack should also dress up as a bumblebee to go with the theme you three are going with," said Haley.

Clarissa smiled at her sister-in-law, "Have fun during your date night, and Jack will have fun with us."

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, Diana, and Jack were trick or treating in their neighborhood.

Xxxx

The next Sunday, Lucy looked at Clarissa who licking her lips at the sight of her husband playing "The Magic Flute" on the piano with little Diana sitting next to him on the bench, "Do you want me to have Diana sleepover in my cottage tonight so you two can try and conceive baby number two without waking up Diana?" whispered Lucy.

A blushing Clarissa nodded.

"Why don't you go cool yourself down," smirked Lucy.

Clarissa glared playfully at the nanny who has become a mother figure to her since they hired her, "You're wanting another baby to take care of."

"I sure do since Diana is starting preschool next August meaning that I'll be spending the day in an empty house," said Lucy.

Xxxx

Over an hour later Spencer and Clarissa were quickly undressing each other before falling onto their bed and little did they know, that night would cause their little family of three to grow to four.

Xxxx

Two days later, Spencer was in the front seat of an SUV, and Spencer was sending Clarissa a text message.

I GET TO MEET PROFESSOR URSULA KENT WHO'S THE AUTHOR OF "EMPTY PLANET"! ~ SR

A few seconds later Clarissa replied.

I'M SO JEALOUS BECAUSE "EMPTY PLANET" IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS! ~ CR

Gideon looked at Spencer who was smiling at a text message, "Why don't you take a few minutes to call Lucy so you can talk to your daughter."

"OK," said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and called the nanny's number.

"Are you coming home, Spencer?" asked Lucy.

"No, but I have a few minutes to talk to Diana," said Spencer.

"I'll put her on," said Lucy.

A minute later Spencer smiled when he heard his little girl's voice.

"Hi, daddy," said Diana.

"Hey there, Diana," said Spencer.

"I miss you, daddy," said Diana.

"I miss you too, bumblebee," said Spencer.

Diana started telling her father about what he has done for the day, and when they reached a book store, Spencer politely interrupted his daughter.

"Daddy has to get back to work, bumblebee," said Spencer.

"I love you, daddy," said Diana.

"I love you too, Diana," said Spencer before hanging up and sighed sadly, "I just can't believe that she will be three-years-old next month."

Gideon looked at the 25-year-old genius as he thought about how happy he is for Spencer when it came to having a happy marriage and a beautiful daughter, "Me either, and hopefully you and Clarissa will be expecting another child soon."

Spencer blushed a bit as he thought about his and Clarissa's Sunday night activities, "I'll make it quick as I can."

"OK," said Gideon.

Xxxx

Spencer approached the SUV that Gideon was in, "Got it. It was the last copy left, according to the clerk, it's actually become a pretty popular novel in science fiction circles," said Spencer as he sat down in the front passenger seat.

Gideon's cellphone rang causing Spencer to listen to Gideon's side of his conversation with Hotch.

"Looks like a pipe bomb at the waterworks," said Gideon.

"Are we gonna go there?" asked Spencer as he continued to read his copy of "Empty Planet".

"No, we'll still go see professor Kent," said Gideon before he looked at Spencer who still hasn't buckled up, "Seat belts."

Spencer buckled himself up while Gideon started driving.

Xxxx

Spencer entered his house and he smiled when he saw Lucy sitting on the couch reading to Diana before Lucy whispered into Diana's ears causing Diana's blue eyes to go wide when she saw her daddy.

"Daddy!" cried Diana as she jumped off her nanny's lap and ran to her daddy.

Spencer knelt down, "I missed you," said Spencer as he hugged his daughter tightly before kissing Diana's forehead.

"Clarissa's already at work," said Lucy.

Spencer stood up to his full height with Diana on his hip, "I know since she told me in a text message that you and Clarissa made sure to keep some breakfast warm for me," said Spencer tiredly while his stomach growled.

Five minutes later Spencer was eating breakfast while occasionally giving his daughter a bite.

Xxxx

45 minutes later Spencer was falling into his bed to catch up on some sleep.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts two days after the last chapter.

Clarissa looked at Spencer as they worked on cooking dinner together, "Are we still planning on driving up to New Haven to celebrate Thanksgiving?" asked Clarissa.

"Do you still want to go up there?" asked Spencer.

"I do, and I don't mind us having to celebrate our anniversary early again.," said Clarissa.

"I just can't believe it that we'll be celebrating six years of friendship and our fourth wedding anniversary," said Spencer.

"Me too," said Clarissa.

"Meeting you has been one of the best days of my life," said Spencer.

"Mine too, but do you have any other best days of your life?" asked Clarissa.

"Marrying you, joining the BAU, and holding Diana for the first time," said Spencer.

"Marrying you, reaching my goal to work at Children's National, and giving birth to Diana," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

Spencer and Hotch headed to the door of the apartment that Marcie resided in, and a few seconds later Hotch knocked on the door causing a woman to open up the chained door a bit.

"Agents Hotchner and Reid, FBI," said Hotch as he showed Betty his badge.

"What do you want?" asked Betty.

"We'd like to talk to you," said Hotch.

Betty thought about the badge Hotch showed to her, "Hold that badge up again."

Hotch showed Betty his badge again before he and Spencer were let into the apartment causing both men to see a toddler on the couch.

"We're here to talk to you about Marcie Mitchell," said Hotch.

"I'm her mother," said Betty just as a young boy ran into the room.

"I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am," said Hotch.

Jason looked at his grandmother, "What's this?" asked Jason.

Betty looked at her oldest grandson, "They're for me. Take your brother inside."

The toddler on the couch started crying.

"Is this about mom?" asked Jason.

"I said inside," ordered Betty.

Jason picked up his little brother and carried him to a bedroom, and a few seconds later Betty noticed that Spencer and

Hotch were staring at the glass of alcohol on the table.

"You gonna judge me or ask questions?" asked Betty.

Spencer's heart melted as he continued to hear the toddler cry causing him to think of Diana and Jack, "Is there anyone who can help you with the kids?" asked Spencer.

"Is that what you came here for?" asked Betty.

"Ma'am, we've just been assigned your daughter's case. We're in the process of gathering information, but so far no witnesses have come forward," said Hotch.

"Well, around here guns go off like those damn car alarms, every 15 minutes. Nobody's stupid enough to talk, nobody cares," said Betty.

"We do," said Spencer.

"You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for them," said Betty as she picked up a newspaper and showed it to Spencer and Hotch, ""Heinous crimes against upstanding members of the community." Nobody writes about prostitutes being shot because they won't admit they think they're cleaning up the place."

Hotch nodded, "You're right. Cases like your daughter's usually go unsolved. The problem is people aren't looking for them because they don't know that they're missing. Part of her job was... To stay below the radar. Doesn't mean she was any less important."

"She made bad choices. But she was a good person. She loved those boys. Whoever shot her should pay for what they did. So don't come in here and say you're sorry. Just do something about it," pleaded Betty.

"We will, Ma'am," said Hotch.

As the toddler continued to cry, Spencer made his decision and went into the room and picked up the toddler and carried him into the living room, "Its OK, little guy," soothed Spencer as he used a bouncing method that he used for Diana and Jack while making funny faces at the toddler.

Jason's little brother stopped crying and started to laugh causing an impressed Betty to look at Spencer, "You have any kids, nieces, or nephews?" asked Betty.

Spencer smiled a bit, "I have a little girl who will be three next month, and I also have a one-year-old nephew," said Spencer as he continued to bounce the toddler on his hip.

Betty looked at Hotch, "What about you?" asked Betty.

"I have a one-year-old son and a niece that will be three next month," said Hotch.

Betty quickly connected the dots, "You two are brothers-in-law."

Spencer and Hotch nodded.

Xxxx

A few days later Spencer was sitting at his desk finishing up his paperwork while thinking about being away from his wife and daughter for four days when Hotch and an unfamiliar woman exited Hotch's office.

"I'm almost done, Hotch," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at his brother-in-law, "Need a ride home, Reid?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded, "A ride home will be great, Hotch," said Spencer before looking at the unknown woman, "Are you going to be Elle's replacement?" asked Spencer.

Hotch nodded, "Agent Emily Prentiss is going to be our new teammate."

Spencer looked at Emily, "I'm SSA Dr. Spencer Reid."

Emily's eyes went wide, "Didn't you go to Yale?" asked Emily.

"I did and I remember seeing pictures of you with your mom during my days at Yale," said Spencer.

Xxxx

A few hours later Spencer and Clarissa were making love in their bed to celebrate Spencer coming home after four days away.

Xxxx

The next morning at 7 AM Spencer entered Diana's bedroom, and a few seconds later he was sitting on Diana's bed stroking Diana's hair.

Diana opened her eyes, and she blearily saw her daddy, "Daddy?" asked Diana.

"I'm home, bumblebee," said Spencer as he helped his little girl put on her glasses.

A few seconds later Diana was giving her daddy a big bear hug."I missed you, daddy."

Spencer hugged his daughter, "I missed you too, bumblebee."

"You stay home today?" asked Diana.

"I have to go do paperwork," said Spencer.

Diana pouted causing Spencer to chuckle, "I'll be having four days off for Thanksgiving, so we will get to spend a lot of time together."

"Mommy too?" asked Diana.

"Mommy too since mommy and I will be celebrating six years of friendship and four years of marriage," said Spencer.

The nearly three-year-old toddler quickly did some math, "10 years?" asked Diana.

Spencer shook his head, "I met mommy on November 30th of 2000, and I married her two years later on November 30th of 2002."

"Oh," said Diana as her stomach growled.

"Let's get you dressed so we can eat breakfast before mommy and I have to head to work," said Spencer as he swooped up his daughter.

Xxx

15 minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy were eating their breakfast together while Spencer listened to Diana tell him about what she did while he was away.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have it that Spencer and Clarissa always decide to celebrate their anniversary earlier than November 30th just in case their jobs won't always interfere with their anniversary. So in this chapter Spencer and Clarissa celebrate six years of friendship and their four year wedding anniversary.
> 
> I have it that the Reids and the Hotchners all live in the Clevland Park area of Northwest, Washington DC and that Spencer usually takes the train in the mornings while Hotch gives him ride homes in the evening.
> 
> This chapter starts two weeks after the last chapter so Lessons Learned has happened, and I hope that you readers love the changes I made to Sex, Birth, and Death. I'm sorry that there's no little Diana in this chapter, but she'll be back in the next chapter.

Spencer and Clarissa were sitting on their hotel bed with four boxes in front of them when Clarissa looked at her husband, "How about we open up our gifts that deals with our sixth anniversary of friendship," said Clarissa.

Spencer nodded, "OK."

A few seconds later Spencer and Clarissa were both opening their gifts.

Clarissa laughed when she saw a big bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, "Thank you."

"Your welcome," said Spencer.

"Open up your gift," said Clarissa.

Spencer opened up his gift, and he laughed when he saw a bag of sugar, "You decided to give me sugar instead of candy?" laughed Spencer.

"Yes," said Clarissa.

"I take it that we'll save getting each other gifts that deal with iron until our sixth wedding anniversary?" asked Spencer.

"I think we should," said Clarissa.

Spencer passed his wife his gift for their fourth anniversary as husband and wife, "I guess its time to open up our fourth-anniversary gifts."

A few seconds later Clarissa was admiring her new silk scarf, "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you love it," said Spencer.

"I hope you love my gift," said Clarissa as she handed Spencer a big package, and a minute later Spencer was staring at his new navy blue military-style pea coat, "Even though the traditional gifts for a four year wedding anniversary is linen or silk, I decided to get you a new winter jacket."

"It's OK," said Spencer.

"Do you love it?" asked Clarissa.

"I do since I had my eyes on this jacket for a while," said Spencer.

"Please try it on," said Clarissa.

Spencer got off the bed and slipped on the jacket, and a few seconds later Clarissa looked at her husband, "I'm glad I got this jacket for you because it looks sexy on you."

Spencer groaned as he felt his dress pants start to tighten causing Clarissa to smirk, "There's one last gift for you to open up, so please remove my dress."

A minute later Spencer was groaning at Clarissa's new silk lingerie.

Xxxx

Two weeks later, Spencer was in the front seat of Hotch's car, and after being on the road for 15 minutes, Hotch looked at his brother-in-law.

"Morgan told me that Nathan has been watching you at the metro station for a couple of weeks," said Hotch.

"I know, and luckily Clarissa and Diana never go on public transportation with me," said Spencer.

"Instead of taking the train to work, I'll be glad to give you rides on mornings that I don't have meetings since I already give you rides home when it comes to working this late," said Hotch.

"I'm going to take your offer because the next time someone who I never met before approaches me and says my name could be someone who's been paid to go after me by someone I helped put away," said Spencer.

"That's why I think you should start taking the train less," said Hotch.

Xxxx

Two mornings later Spencer knocked on Dr. Harris's door, and a few seconds later Dr. Harris was letting Spencer into her apartment.

"What do you want?" asked Dr. Harris.

"Nathan told me last night that he was thinking about committing suicide so he doesn't harm anyone in the future," said Spencer.

Dr. Harris quickly sat down and looked at Spencer, "He said that?" asked Dr. Harris.

"He did, and I'm not lying since I have a court-certified eidetic memory," said Spencer.

"If it turns out that he didn't kill that woman last night, I'm already been planning on committing him myself," said Dr. Harris as she showed Spencer what she found.

When Spencer was done going through the magazine, he looked at Dr. Harris, "How often do you work with patients at Children's National?" asked Spencer.

"I help out there two times a week," said Dr. Harris.

"Ever heard of one of their nurses Clarissa Reid?" asked Spencer.

"I've met her before, and she's one of the sweetest young woman I've ever worked with," said Dr. Harris before looking at Spencer, "With her last name being Reid, is she related to you?" asked Dr. Harris.

"She's my wife. Other than being devoted to her patients, she's a wonderful mother to our nearly three-year-old daughter. So if you can't supervise Nathan tonight, there's always a place for Nathan in the inpatient psych ward at Children's National until you can put him into a hospital of your choice," said Spencer as he passed Dr. Harris a piece of paper that contained the number to his land-line, "If you ever need anything you can either my wife or me on our land-line."

"Thank you, and I can tell that your a great father since you're wanting to help my son," said Dr. Harris.

Spencer smiled a bit before becoming serious, "I still have a killer to catch, and I hope you made the right decision for your son. And if you ever bring Nathan to visit me at the BAU, you can't mention my wife at all since my marriage is being kept a secret," said Spencer before he left Dr. Harris's apartment so he could drive himself to Quantico.

Xxxx

Spencer sat at his desk while thinking about not wanting to go home to an empty house due to Clarissa working third shift while Diana was sleeping over at his godmother's house when Garcia approached him.

"Come on. Come on, you and me, we're hitting the town," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Garcia, "No offense, Garcia, but I'm not really feeling like I'd make the, uh, best company right now."

"Oh, no. Up. Up," said Garcia as she motioned Spencer to get up, "Do not make me hurt you."

Spencer chuckled as he got up.

"There you go," said Garcia.

A few minutes later Garcia was showing Spencer her corvette, "Have you met Esther? You like?" asked Garcia.

"Wow," said Spencer.

"Only 150,000 miles on her," said Garcia.

"I did drive in this morning since Hotch told me the other night that I should think about taking the train in less," said Spencer as he pointed where his car currently was.

Garcia quickly noticed Spencer's car and gave Spencer an address, "Meet me at this address in one hour or I will hurt you at work tomorrow."

Spencer chuckled as he headed off to his ancient Volvo while being glad that he doesn't drive Diana around in his car.

Xxxx

Over an hour later, Garcia looked at Spencer as they drank sodas while sharing a basket of fries at the bar they frequent to with their teammates, "So what are you doing for Christmas this year?" asked Garcia.

"My godparents are staying in DC, so I'm celebrating Christmas with them," said Spencer.

"That's nice," said Garcia before becoming serious, "I have a feeling that your hiding something huge from me since you pretty much leave at five when we don't have a case."

Spencer kept his face neutral, "I can't tell you anything since its classified information, and I can get in a lot of trouble and lose my job if I tell you."

"It's OK that you can't tell me," said Garcia before she and Spencer decided to talk happy childhood memories before they headed to their respective homes.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts the Friday after the last chapter so its December 15th.

Spencer looked at his nearly three-year-old daughter as he held a tray filled with breakfast, "Go wake up mommy, bumblebee," said Spencer.

"OK, daddy," said Diana.

A few seconds later Clarissa was waking up to being given kisses from her little girl, "Why are you up right now?" asked Clarissa.

"Happy birthday, mommy," said Diana.

At that moment Clarissa slipped on her glasses and a few seconds later she smiled when she saw her husband holding a tray filled with breakfast.

"Happy birthday, love," said Spencer as he made his way into the room and kissed Clarissa.

"Thank you," said Clarissa before looking at her daughter, "We're having our joint birthday dinner tomorrow."

"Why have a party for me when my birthday is six days away?" asked Diana.

"There's a chance that I might have to go away to slay another dragon on your birthday, so we decide to celebrate yours and mommy's birthday together since you were born six days after mommy's birthday," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, and Diana were enjoying breakfast in bed before Spencer and Clarissa had to get ready for work.

Xxxx

Later on that evening Spencer looked at his wife as they shared a bottle of sparkling grape juice, "Remember how I asked you out six years ago today?" asked Spencer.

Clarissa smiled as she remembered the card trick that her husband did, "Doing a card trick was a cute way to ask me out."

"I know, and I can't wait to do a magic show at Children's National next week Friday," said Spencer.

"A lot of kids are looking forward to your magic show," said Clarissa.

"I know," said Spencer.

The next day Clarissa was getting a hug from her oldest brother.

"I just can't believe that you're now 25 years old," said Hotch.

"I know, and today is one of these days that I miss mom since she never got to see me get married or meet her grandchildren," said Clarissa as she watched Diana walk around the living room while holding Jack's hand.

"She always made our birthdays special, and knowing our mom she would be watching over her grandchildren," said Hotch.

"Spencer and I always make sure that Diana knows who her grandparents are," said Clarissa.

"So with you and Spencer both being 25, should I getting news about becoming an uncle again soon?" asked Hotch as he smirked at his sister.

"We've been trying, so I'm hoping that I find out that I'll be a mother again soon," said Clarissa.

Xxxxx

An hour later Clarissa sat in front of the dining room table with Diana on her lap while Spencer, Hotch, Haley, Sean, Alex, James, and Lucy sang "Happy Birthday" to Clarissa and Diana.

As soon as everyone stopped singing, Clarissa looked at her daughter, "Let's blow out these candles together."

"OK, mommy," said Diana.

A few seconds later Clarissa and Diana had blown out the candles together before Spencer removed the candles.

Xxxx

Two days later an excited Spencer was looking at the fizzing film canister on his desk while JJ and Garcia stood over him.

"Nothing's happening," said JJ.

"Watch," said Spencer excitably.

A few seconds later the film canister shot up into the air causing both JJ and Garcia to scream while the film canister flew across the bullpen and hit Emily in the forehead.

"Ah. Ooh," groaned Emily as she rubbed her forehead while JJ and Garcia laughed, "Ah, what-."

Spencer looked at Emily, "I'm so sorry, Emily."

Emily looked at Spencer, "What was that?" asked Emily.

Garcia who was still giggling looked at Emily, "Don't you recognize a rocket when you see one?" asked Garcia.

"I- I was merely demonstrating a physics law I- I-I didn't meant to hit," stuttered Spencer.

Emily thought about being a nerd herself, "Oh, show me?" asked Emily as she hurried towards Spencer's desk.

"All right," said Spencer before glancing at JJ, Emily, and Garcia. "Uh... well, turn around, please."

Garcia instantly turned around.

"Turn around?" asked Emily.

"Yeah, he's not gonna show you... how it's done," said JJ as she turned around.

"A magician doesn't reveal his secrets," said Spencer.

"But I thought you said it was physics?" asked Emily,

"Physics...magic," said Spencer.

"Trust me," said Garcia as she turned Emily around herself, "It will not do you any good to argue with him."

Spencer quickly made sure that his three female teammates weren't watching before he started to prepare his bottle rocket, and as soon as he was done, he looked at his three female teammates, "All right, all right, turn back and observe."

JJ, Emily, and Garcia all quickly turned around, and five seconds later his little bottle rocket shot into the air causing all three women to scream.

"Oh," exclaimed Emily, JJ, and Garcia.

A few seconds later the little bottle rocket landed by Hotch's feet causing Spencer's, Emily's, JJ's, and Garcia's smiles to go away.

Hotch picked up Spencer's film canister and looked at Spencer while JJ, Emily, and Garcia all either went to their desk or grab one of Spencer's files.

Hotch gave his brother-in-law a slightly stern look, "Physics magic?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded a bit, "Yes, sir."

Hotch started walking towards his brother-in-law while seeing the puppy dog eyes that always caused him to soften up, "Reid, we talked about this," said Hotch sternly.

"I'm sorry, sir," said Spencer.

Hotch placed the film canister on his brother in law's desk while looking at his brother in law with a slight twinkle in his eyes, "Really starting to get some distance on those."

Spencer grinned at his brother-in-law before a smiling Hotch walked away.

"So he does have a sense of humor," said Emily.

"Sometimes," said Spencer.

Emily noticed the lack of Morgan in the bullpen, "Hey, where's Morgan?" asked Emily.

"In Chicago. He goes there every year for his mother's birthday," said Spencer.

Emily nodded before looking at Spencer, "Did you just use your eyes on Hotch to get him to soften up?" asked Emily.

"I plead the fifth," said Spencer.

JJ, Garcia, and Emily burst out laughing.

Xxxx

The next day Derek Morgan's mother Fran Morgan looked at Spencer, "Derek told me that your an orphan," said Fran.

"I lost my biological parents to a drunk driver when I was four. When I was 19 when my aunt and uncle who adopted me was killed by a family member of a suspect my uncle who was a police officer did a kill shot on," said Spencer.

"Did anyone help you after the deaths of your aunt and uncle?" asked Fran.

Spencer looked at Fran, Sarah, and Desiree, "What I tell you ladies must be kept a secret from Derek."

All three ladies nodded in agreement.

Spencer took a breath, "Two days after the deaths of my aunt and uncle I was sitting on a bench in New Haven when our unit chief's little sister Clarissa Hotchner approached me and started talking to me before insisting that I join her and Hotch for lunch causing me to become friends with Clarissa before becoming lovers."

"Are you still with Clarissa?" asked Fran.

Spencer reached into his shirt and pulled out a wedding band causing all three ladies to gasp.

"I've been married to Clarissa for over four years," smiled Spencer before becoming serious, "I'm under orders to keep my marriage to my boss's little sister a secret," said Spencer as he placed his wedding band back into its hiding place.

"Why?" asked Sarah.

"A few higher-ups, Hotch, Gideon, and I were nervous about finding out how agents who have been wanting to get into the BAU would react to a 22-year-old genius ending up on the same team as his brother-in-law who's now our unit chief," said Spencer.

"Makes sense since Derek told us that you guys had a teammate who didn't like it that someone as young as you made the team," said Sarah.

Fran looked at Spencer, "Have any kids with your wife?" asked Fran.

Spencer smiled a bit, "I have a daughter who will be three in two days."

"Your little girl must be one of your favorite Christmas gifts," said Sarah.

"She is," said Spencer.

"Please show us a picture of your little girl since I'm always pestering these two and Derek for grandbabies to spoil," said Fran.

A few seconds later Spencer was showing Fran and her daughters a picture of him, Clarissa, and little Diana together causing all three women to coo at the sight of the nearly three-year-old girl on his lap.

"She's so beautiful," said Desiree as she took in the sight of a little girl who had her mother's blue eyes while having her father's curly brown hair.

"What's her name?" asked Fran.

"Diana after my biological mother. This picture was taken on Saturday since we had a joint birthday dinner for Clarissa and Diana since Clarissa's birthday was on Friday," said Spencer.

"Such a beautiful name," said Fran before looking at Spencer, "Are you and Clarissa going to have another child soon?" asked Fran.

"We've been trying for our second child," said Spencer.

"What does Clarissa do for work?" asked Sarah.

"She's a pediatric nurse at Children's National," said Spencer.

"Then you really married someone who loves working with children," said Fran.

"I know, and I enjoy giving magic shows to hospitalized children at Children's National," said Spencer.

Xxxxx

Two days later Spencer and Clarissa smiled when they saw their little girl wake up.

"Its time to wake up, Diana," said Spencer.

Diana opened her eyes, and a few seconds later her daddy was helping her put on her glasses, "Hi, daddy," said Diana before looking at her mommy, "Hi, mommy."

"Happy birthday, bumblebee," said Spencer as he hugged and kissed his daughter.

"Happy birthday, sweet pea," said Clarissa.

"Auntie Elle sent you a gift that she wants you to open today," said Spencer.

"Yay!" cheered Diana before her stomach growled.

"Let's eat breakfast first," said Spencer as he got up and lifted his daughter out of bed.

Xxxx

10 minutes later the little family of three and Lucy was eating breakfast together before Diana opened up her birthday gift from Elle.

Xxxx

The next evening Diana sat on her mommy's lap as she watched her daddy give a magic show to sick children, "When will daddy show me how to do magic tricks?" asked Diana.

"You want daddy to teach you now?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes, mommy," said Diana.

"We'll ask him after the party," said Clarissa just as her husband nodded at her, "Its time to help daddy play the piano for Christmas carols," said Clarissa.

"Yay!" cheered Diana as she thought about how fast she has been picking up the piano.

A few seconds later Clarissa became queasy when a family member of a patient walked past her with a cup of coffee and a sandwich causing Clarissa to inwardly smile as she made a mental note to stop at the store when Spencer took Diana out to look at the Christmas lights.

Xxxx

Three hours later Clarissa was in the bathroom waiting for her timer to go off, and a few minutes later Clarissa let out a yell of victory causing Lucy to run upstairs and burst into the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" asked Lucy.

Clarissa showed Lucy what she was looking at before Lucy rested a hand on Clarissa's still flat belly, "How long do you think you are?" asked Lucy.

"Based on the last time I had my period, I was ovulating on the night that you offered to have Diana sleepover in your cottage," smirked Clarissa.

Lucy quickly calculated the time, "So your nearly seven-weeks pregnant."

"I'll be seven weeks on Sunday, and I'm planning on telling Spencer on Christmas Day," said Clarissa.

"Your secret is safe with me, and I can't wait to take care of another child," said Lucy as she gave Clarissa a gentle hug.

"I'll have to wait until Tuesday to see my gynecologist, but I'm excited about being a mother again," grinned Clarissa.

Xxxx

Three days later Clarissa passed a small box to her husband who opened it and his eyes went wide when he saw a positive pregnancy test, "How long?" asked Spencer quietly.

"I think that we conceived baby number two the night before you went to Seattle," smiled Clarissa.

Spencer quickly did the math before pulling his wife into a kiss, and after they broke out of their kiss, Clarissa looked at her husband, "Let's keep this a secret for a bit longer because I'm only seven-weeks along."

"OK," said Spencer.

"And we can tell Diana with a Valentine during Valentine's Day," said Clarissa.

"OK," said Spencer just as Diana came down the stairs to show off the new dress that Lucy made her.

"Look at my new dress," said Diana as she twirled around.

Spencer smiled at his three-year-old daughter, "You are beautiful, Diana."

Diana gave her father a dimpled father, "Thank you, daddy."

Clarissa looked at her husband who was already dressed for church, "We should get going to church."

Diana thought about how they went the day before on Christmas Eve morning, "Do I have to go to church again, mommy?" asked Diana as she looked at all of her toys that she received from her mommy, daddy, uncle Aaron, auntie Haley, uncle Sean, grandma Alex, grandpa James, Lucy, and Santa.

"Yes you do, sweet pea," said Clarissa.

"When we get back we'll play with your new toys some more," said Spencer.

"OK," sighed Diana.

A few minutes later Spencer, Clarissa, Diana, and Lucy were loading themselves up into Clarissa's SUV so Spencer could drive them to church.

Xxxx

A week later Spencer and Clarissa were kissing each other at midnight wondering what the year 2007 will bring to them.


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarissa's 10-weeks pregnant in this chapter, and Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Garcia will find out about Clarissa, Diana, and baby Reid in the last chapter since I'm planning that the last chapter of this story which will involve some scenes from my now deleted one shot Spencer's Secret Wife. So there's only a minimum of three chapters left until I mark this story complete and get started on the sequel The Profiler and the Nurse.

Spencer woke up to Clarissa running to the bathroom, and a few seconds later Spencer was holding Clarissa's hair back as his wife vomited.

As soon as Clarissa was done vomiting, she was brushing her teeth, "Only a few more weeks until morning sickness is done.

"At least I won't be missing five months of this pregnancy like I did when you were pregnant with Diana," said Spencer as they exited the master bathroom.

"I'm glad about that too," said Clarissa before looking at her husband, "We might as well start getting ready for church."

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were getting into their Sunday best before they woke Diana up to get her ready for church.

Xxx

30 minutes later the Reid family and Lucy were sitting down for breakfast when Diana looked at her mommy, "Do you have a baby in your tummy?" asked Diana.

Spencer and Clarissa looked at each other in shock as they thought about Diana inheriting Spencer's intelligence.

"I'm 10-weeks pregnant with your little brother or sister," said Clarissa.

"Yay!" cheered Diana.

"How did you know?" asked Spencer.

Diana grinned at her father, "I smart like you, daddy."

"Yes you are, bumblebee," said Spencer.

"When is my brother or sister coming?" asked Diana.

"You won't meet your little brother or sister for another 30 weeks," said Clarissa.

"That's a long time," said Diana.

"It is, and you were in my tummy for a total of 38 weeks," said Clarissa.

"Wow," said Diana.

"When your little brother or sister is born, you won't be able to play with him or her for a while since the baby will be too small to play with," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "But as your little brother or sister gets bigger, he or she will love to play with you."

"OK." said Diana before looking at her parents, "Will you two love me when my little brother or sister comes?" asked Diana.

"I'll love you and your sibling equally," said Spencer.

Diana looked at her mommy, "You too, mommy?" asked Diana.

"Me too, Diana," said Clarissa.

Lucy looked at Diana, "And when your mommy and daddy are working, you can help me take care of your little brother or sister when you're not at preschool."

"When am I going to preschool?" asked Diana.

"Not until August," said Spencer.

Xxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer looked at his brother in law and Haley, "Clarissa will be down soon with Diana," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Clarissa came down the stairs with Diana, and a few seconds later Hotch and Haley were gasping at Diana's shirt that said I'M A BIG SISTER.

"Really?" asked Hotch.

"I'm 10-weeks pregnant, Aaron." smiled Clarissa.

Hotch gently hugged his sister, "I'm so happy for you, Clarissa."

Haley pulled Spencer into a hug, "Congratulations."

"Thank you," said Spencer.

As soon as Haley released Spencer, Spencer looked at his brother-in-law.

"Do you think it would be an issue for me to come in late since Clarissa has her 10-week ultrasound tomorrow morning at 7?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all," said Hotch.

Clarissa looked at her brother and her sister-in-law, "Are you two going to make us an aunt and uncle again?" asked Clarissa.

Haley shook her head, "With how the third trimester was difficult for me, we agreed on just Jack."

"Hopefully Sean will settle down because I want to become an auntie again," said Clarissa.

Hotch looked at his sister, "I doubt that Sean isn't the type to settle down, get married, and start families like us."

"Will we tell uncle Sean that I'm a big sister?" asked Diana.

Clarissa looked at her daughter, "Maybe you, daddy, and I can go visit uncle Sean sometime next month and tell him the news." said Clarissa.

"OK," beamed Diana.

Xxxx

The next morning Spencer held Clarissa's hand as Dr. Larson squeezed some warm gel onto Clarissa's 10-week baby bump.

After rubbing a wand on Clarissa's tiny baby bump, he smiled at the young parents, "There's your baby."

When Dr. Larson was finished he looked at Spencer and Clarissa, "Do you have any pictures of Diana to show me?" asked Dr. Larson.

"We sure do," said Clarissa as she pulled out her phone.

Dr. Larson looked at the photos of Diana, "I can't believe that Diana's already three-years-old." said Dr. Larson.

"We know, and she's going to be a great big sister," said Spencer.

"So when are you going to tell her?" asked Dr. Larson.

"She already asked us yesterday," said Spencer.

"Seems like she's taking after you, Spencer," said Dr. Larson.

Xxxx

Over an hour later Morgan looked at Spencer, "So why are you late this morning?" asked Morgan.

"I had a doctor appointment that I couldn't miss, so Hotch gave me permission to come in late," said Spencer.

"Everything good?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded as he dived into his stack of consults.

Xxxxx

A few nights later, Spencer quietly entered Diana's bedroom and he smiled softly when he saw Diana fast asleep.

After watching Diana sleep for a minute, Spencer lightly kissed his daughter's head, "Daddy loves you, bumblebee." whispered Spencer before leaving the room.

20 seconds later Spencer entered his and Clarissa's bedroom, and as soon as he entered the bedroom Clarissa exited the master bathroom, "Welcome home, Spence.

"The killer got away," said Spencer as he explained about what he saw and Frank abducting children in his home state.

Xxxx

When he was finished, Clarissa looked at her husband, "Need me to help you forget briefly?" asked Clarissa.

"I just need to wash away what I saw in that RV," said Spencer.

"Then we'll take a bubble bath together," said Clarissa.

Xxxx

10 minutes later Spencer and Clarissa were taking a bubble bath together.


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is definitely the longest chapter yet since I had to combine The Big Game and Revelations. I ended up creating my own flashbacks since I gave Spencer a different background, so I hope you readers love the flashbacks I have written. Here's a heads up that there will be no drug addiction for Spencer since he has a family to go home to in this universe while I refuse to write Spencer as a drug addict since I lost my favorite aunt to a drug addiction.

Morgan looked at Spencer as he thought about how Spencer always bailed out since crowded bars were always way too overstimulating for him, "So what are you doing during the super bowl party?" asked Morgan.

"I have a date," said Spencer.

Emily perked up.

"Why don't you bring her to the party?" asked Morgan.

Spencer laughed, "I doubt that Hotch and Haley would appreciate me taking their son to a bar."

Morgan's mouth dropped while Emily burst out laughing, "Nice one, Reid." said Emily as she held out her hand for a high five.

Spencer returned the high five.

"Your babysitting Jack?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded, "I became great friends with the Hotchners over the years. They have me over for weekly dinners while Haley likes to mother me."

Morgan smiled as he thought about how much Hotch looked out for Spencer, "Have fun with little Hotchner."

"I will," said Spencer.

Xxxx

The next night Spencer and Clarissa woke up to their three-year-old daughter screaming through the baby monitor. As soon as Spencer and Clarissa had their glasses on they rushed to Diana's bedroom where they found Diana crying causing Spencer to scoop up his crying daughter and sit down with Diana curled up on his lap.

"What's wrong, bumblebee?" asked Spencer as he wiped Diana's tears.

"You are on a case and a monster took you, daddy. You didn't come home," sobbed Diana.

Spencer hugged his daughter tightly, "I know that you are worried when I'm on a case with your uncle Aaron, but your uncle always makes sure that I'm safe. When I joined the BAU I promised your mommy that I would always come home to you and mommy, and now with you becoming a big sister, I have to make sure I come home so I can meet your sibling in 27 weeks."

Diana looked at her mommy and placed a hand on her mommy's nearly 13-week baby bump, "I think it's my sister in here."

"We have five more weeks until we find out," said Clarissa.

"Can I please sleep with you two?" asked Diana.

Spencer and Clarissa looked at each other and nodded before Spencer stood up with Diana still in his arms.

Xxxx

The next evening Hotch and Haley looked at Spencer and Clarissa who each had a child on their hip, "With how late we're going to be out, you are staying for the night since we'll be making sure that the rest of the team gets home safely."

Spencer and Clarissa both nodded.

Haley looked at her 15-month-old son who was on Clarissa's hip, "You be a good boy for uncle Spencer and auntie Clarissa and have fun playing with your cousin," said Haley as she gave her son a kiss.

"Mama," smiled Jack before looking at his daddy, "Dada."

"At least babysitting Jack helps us prepare for when this little one is born," said Clarissa as she rested a hand on her 13-week baby bump.

Hotch looked at his niece who was on her daddy's hip, "Are you going to have fun playing with Jack?" asked Hotch.

"I read to Jack," said Diana.

A few minutes later Spencer and Clarissa looked at their daughter and nephew, "So what should we do first until its bath time and bedtime?" asked Clarissa.

"Read," said Diana.

"OK," said Spencer as he opened up Diana's overnight bag and pulled out one of the books that Diana picked out, "Are you going to help me read to Jack?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, daddy," said Diana.

A minute later Diana was reading out loud "The Cat and the Hat" to Jack while Spencer and Clarissa beamed proudly at their daughter while thinking about how she's going to be a wonderful big sister.

Xxx

Spencer and Clarissa stopped focusing on the movie "Monsters Inc." to see Jack fast asleep while Diana was about to fall asleep.

"I'll get Jack into his crib while you get Diana into the guest bedroom that we'll be staying in," said Clarissa quietly as she stood up with the 15-month-toddler in her arms.

"OK," said Spencer as he got up with the three-year-old in his arms.

After taking Diana to the bathroom, Spencer was tucking in Diana in Clarissa's old bedroom that had a queen-sized bed, "Mommy and I will be in here soon." said Spencer.

"OK," said Diana.

"Goodnight, Diana," said Spencer as he kissed his daughter.

"Goodnight, daddy," said Diana.

A few minutes later Spencer met Clarissa in the hallway.

"We should go downstairs and clean up before joining Diana," said Clarissa.

Spencer nodded.

Xxxx

Two hours later Spencer woke up to his work cellphone gently ringing causing him to quickly answer, "Dr. Reid," answered Spencer groggily.

"We have a case and I'll be picking you up in 10 minutes," said Hotch.

"OK," said Spencer as he slowly got out of bed so he wouldn't wake up his girls.

A few seconds later Clarissa woke up, "What's wrong?" asked Clarissa.

"I have a case so Aaron and Haley are on their way back your brother and I will be riding to the BAU together," said Spencer as he leaned forward to give Diana a kiss, "Daddy loves you, bumblebee.".

Clarissa gave her husband a kiss, "Please try to stay safe."

"I will," said Spencer before hurrying to the bathroom so he could get dressed and switch to his contacts.

Xxxx

10 minutes later Spencer and Hotch were heading to Quantico.

Xxx

The next night Spencer was running in a cornfield trying to find Tobias Hankel when he heard Hankel talking to someone else.

When Spencer heard JJ scream and the sound of a gun going off he took off running towards the barn.

"JJ!" shouted Spencer before he got pistol-whipped.

As Spencer tried to grab his gun, Hankel grabbed his gun and pointed it at him.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Spencer as he held up his hands.

"I couldn't stop him by myself," said Tobias.

Spencer scooted back, "OK, OK."

"I tried to warn everyone," said Tobias.

"Just relax, Mr. Hankel, all right?" asked Spencer.

Tobias's demeanor changed, "Shoot him!" said Tobias in a much different voice.

Tobias's demeanor changed causing Spencer to realize that Tobias has DID, "I don't want to!" said Tobias.

"I said, shoot him, you weakling. He's a Satan," said Tobias in a much different voice.

Tobias started to cry, "He didn't do anything."

"I won't tell you another time, boy. Shoot him!" said Tobias in a much different voice.

A few seconds later Spencer's world went black when he was hit on the head again.

Xxx

A few hours later Hotch was driving to the airport to pick up Garcia when he called Clarissa.

"Are you and Spencer coming home?" asked Clarissa.

Hotch sighed, "Is Lucy with you right now?" asked Hotch.

"She is, and Diana is with Haley and Jack," said Clarissa.

"If you're not sitting down, please sit down and stay calm because what I'm going to tell you won't be good for you or the baby," said Hotch.

Hotch heard some rustling.

"Did something happened to, Spence?" asked Clarissa as she wiped a tear.

Hotch started explaining about how he sent his brother in law with JJ to go talk to a witness while not even realizing that Hankel was their unsub and that Spencer and JJ tried to catch Hankel themselves only for Spencer to get abducted.

Xxx

When Hotch was finished he took a deep breath, "I'm so sorry that I sent him straight to the unsub."

"Aaron, you didn't know that your witness was the unsub. And knowing Spence he will fight to stay alive since he promised me that he'll always come home since he has Diana, his unborn child, and me to think about. He will tell you himself that it wasn't your fault since you didn't know that your witness is the unsub. And when he's found alive, we'll have to make sure that he gets some time off to physically and mentally recover," said Clarissa.

Hotch sighed in relief as he realized that his sister is staying hopeful that her husband is found alive, "I promise that I'll keep you updated."

"Damn straight, and I'll need to call my boss and let her know that I need time off since I'm in no condition to work right now," said Clarissa.

"As soon as Spencer's found I think it will be time for the rest of the team to learn about you and Diana. So as soon as Spencer's found alive I want you to come down to Georgia," said Hotch.

"I'll be waiting for your phone call, but right now I have to go so I can call my boss," said Clarissa before hanging up.

Xxxx

Spencer woke up to finding a single light bulb hanging over his head while realizing that he was handcuffed to a chair.

"They're gone," said Tobias/Raphael.

"Who are they?" asked Spencer.

"It's just me now," said Tobias/Raphael.

"Who... who are you?" asked Spencer.

"I'm Raphael," said Tobias/Raphael.

Spencer gulped as he smelled something horrible, "What's that smell?" asked Spencer.

"They're burning fish hearts and livers. Keeps away the devil. They believe you can see inside men's minds," said Tobias/Raphael.

"It's not true. I study human behavior," said Spencer.

Tobias/Raphael as he pulled out a revolver, "I'm not interested in the arguments of men." said Tobias/Raphael as he took out a bullet and showed it to Spencer, "You know that this is? It's God's will," said Tobias/Raphael as he put the bullet back in and spun the chamber before pointing the revolver at Spencer's forehead.

Spencer instantly thought about the smiling faces of his pregnant wife and Diana, "You don't have to do this."

"I'm just an instrument of God," said Tobias/Raphael as he pulled the trigger.

Spencer flinched before sighing in relief when the one bullet didn't come out.

Xxxx

Spencer who was in pain after the Charles personality of Tobias Hankel beat his left foot with a log, he turned his head when he saw Hankel come in with a slaughtered animal.

"You need to eat," said Tobias.

Spencer realized that Hankel's personality was different, "What's your name?" asked Spencer.

"Tobias," said Tobias.

"Tobias? Who was here before?" asked Spencer.

"It was probably my father," said Tobias before noticing that one of Spencer's feet is bare, "I'm sorry if he hurt you," said Tobias before he started to remove his belt.

Spencer instantly became scared, "What are you doing?" asked Spencer.

Tobias started to wrap the belt around Spencer's right bicep.

"Don't. Please don't," pleaded Spencer.

Tobias shook his head, "It helps." said Tobias as he pulled out a syringe and a bottle, "Don't tell my father. He doesn't know they're here."

"Please. I don't want it. I don't want it. Please." pleaded Spencer before looking into Hankel's eyes, "I have a wife of over four years, a three-year-old little girl, and my wife's 13-weeks pregnant with my second child so I don't want to lose them over drugs."

"Your married and a father?" asked Tobias.

"I'm married to a devote Christian woman who I go to church with every Sunday when I'm not traveling for work. My wife and I have also been teaching our three-year old-daughter about the Bible," said Spencer.

Tobias shook his head, "Trust me. I know." said Tobias before he injected the drug into Spencer's vein.

Spencer quickly zonked out as the drug went into his system.

Flashback

Spencer woke up in a hospital bed to see his aunt and uncle sitting on either side of him in a hospital bed, "Why am I here?" croaked Spencer.

Ethel raised her nephew's hospital bed before helping Spencer take a sip of water before Gordon placed a spare pair of Spencer's glasses onto the bridge of his nose.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" asked Gordon.

"Harper Hillman came into the library and told me that Alexa Libson wanted to meet me behind the field house," said Spencer as he explained what happened to him before he started crying.

Gordon instantly hugged his nephew, "As soon as I tied you down and called for back up, the principal told me to take you here since we wanted to make sure that nothing else happened."

"So a rape kit was done?" asked Spencer.

Gordon nodded, "You weren't raped."

"I already knew that but what's happening to everyone that was involved?" asked Spencer.

Gordon started explaining what's going to happen.

When Gordon was done, Spencer looked at his uncle, "There will be classmates who will think that I'm weak if I'm going to be having one of your officers be one of my bodyguards." muttered Spencer.

Gordon looked at his adopted son, "Your not weak, Spencer. The school and I should have done more about your safety."

"I'm not weak," repeated Spencer.

Flashback ended.

Xxxx

"I'm not weak. I'm not weak" muttered Spencer as he started to wake up.

"I don't give a damn whether you're weak or strong. Yell all you want, boy. Ain't no one gonna hear you where you are." said Tobias/Charles before he started screaming.

Xxxx

A few hours later in Washington DC, Clarissa's cellphone vibrated causing Clarissa to see a text from her brother.

I HAVE AN UPDATE ON SPENCER. THE UNSUB SENT THE TEAM AND I LIVE VIDEO FEED TO SHOW THAT HE'S ALIVE. THE TEAM AND I ARE STILL TRYING TO FIND HIM. ~ AH

"What is it?" asked Haley.

"Aaron just told me that he has proof that Spencer's still alive and that they're still searching for him." sobbed Clarissa as she clutched her belly.

Haley hugged her sister in law, "You have to stay calm for yourself and the baby."

Clarissa looked at her sister-in-law, "Speaking of the baby, would you believe it that I have a feeling that I'm carrying a girl? I knew that I was pregnant with a girl when I was pregnant with Diana."

Haley smiled, "I had a feeling that I was carrying a boy when I was pregnant with Jack."

Xxxx 

A few hours later Tobias when Tobias was preparing a dosage of whatever drug he was given earlier.

"Tobias," said Spencer.

"Sorry. I had to leave for a while," said Tobias.

"You can leave again, and you can take me with you. I have a wife and little girl who are both waiting for me to come home," said Spencer.

Tobias drew another dose of Dilaudid from the vial, "My father would be angry."

"Not if he can't find us," said Spencer.

"He always finds me," said Tobias.

"If you tell me where we are, my friends will come, and they'll save us," said Spencer.

Tobias flicked the syringe to get rid of air bubbles, "We can't be saved."

"We can. We can. I promise. If you tell me where we are, I'll save us both," said Spencer.

"Listen to me. It's not worth fighting. Tell me it doesn't make it better," said Tobias.

Spencer cried as Tobias injected Dilaudid into his veins before he went to sleep.

Flashback

Spencer was sitting on a bench with tears streaming down his face while looking at a picture of him with his aunt and uncle after he earned his first Ph.D., and he heard a female voice.

"You alright?" asked a young woman.

Spencer looked up and saw a girl around his age, "My aunt and uncle who raised me since I was four years old, were murdered in a car accident two days ago." said Spencer as he wiped a tear from his face.

"I lost my father when I was young and my mom died last year." said the girl as she sat down next to Spencer.

Spencer quickly remembered his manners, "I'm Spencer Reid."

Clarissa gave Spencer a gentle smile, "I'm Clarissa Hotchner, and you look like you could use a friend."

Spencer looked into Clarissa's eyes and little did he know that she would eventually become his wife and the mother of his future children.

Flashback ended

Xxxx

Tobias/Charles grabbed Spencer's left arm and noticed a few puncture wounds, "You're pitiful! Just like my son." said Tobias/Charles before he went to turn on the camera so Spencer's teammates can watch the live feed, "This ends now. Confess your sins." said Tobias/Charles before slapping Spencer's head.

Spencer jolted back in his chair a bit.

"Confess!" shouted Tobias/Charles.

"I haven't done anything," cried Spencer before he was punched again, "Tobias, help me," pleaded Spencer.

"He can't help you. He's weak," said Tobias/Charles before punching Spencer again.

"Tobias," cried Spencer.

Tobias/Charles grabbed Spencer's hair, "Confess your sins."

"Help," cried Spencer.

Tobias/Charles pushed Spencer's chair back, and a few seconds later Spencer felt his head hitting the floor hard before he started seizing before his eyes rolled back, "It's the devil vacating your body."

Spencer's world went black.

Xxxx

Spencer was standing in the desert and gasped when he saw his parents, aunt, and uncle, "Am I dead?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded at her son, "Yes, and I was always looking forward to the day I would be reunited with you."

"I can't. I've been married for over four years to a wonderful woman who has been my best friend for over six years, I have a three-year-old daughter that I named after you, and I'm going to be a father again in 27 weeks." cried Spencer.

"We know what you have done with your life," said William.

"We're proud of you for not letting our deaths not stop you from falling in love and giving us two beautiful granddaughters," said Diana.

"Clarissa's only 13-weeks pregnant with my second child," said Spence.

"Even though I've been dead for nearly 21 years, a mother knows, Spencer. So don't be surprised when you find out in five weeks," said Diana.

Spencer started to feel a warmth, "What's happening?" asked Spencer.

"Seems like your being given CPR," said Gordon.

"What if I don't want to go back?" asked Spencer.

"It's not your time, Spencer," said Diana.

"Will I'll see you guys again someday?" asked Spencer.

"Only when the time is right. Keep on telling our grandchildren stories about us," said Diana as she, William, Ethel, and Gordon each gave Spencer one last hug.

Xxxx

Spencer opened his eyes and when his vision was clear he turned his head to notice a few headstones causing him to realize where he could be.

"You came back to life," said Tobias/Raphael.

Spencer realized that he was dealing with Raphael, "Raphael."

"There can be only one of two reasons," said Tobias/Raphael.

"I was given CPR," croaked Spencer.

"There are no accidents. How many members are on your team?" asked Tobias/Raphael.

"Seven," said Spencer.

"The 7 angels who had the 7 trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first sounding followed hail and they were thrown to earth," quoted Tobias/Raphael as he lifted Spencer's chair and Spencer sighed in relief when he was sitting up again, "Tell me who you serve."

"I serve you," said Spencer.

"Then choose one to die," said Tobias/Raphael.

A shocked Spencer looked at his captor, "What?" asked Spencer.

"Your team members- choose one to die," said Tobias/Raphael.

Spencer knew that he needed to buy himself some time, "Kill me."

"You said you weren't one of them," said Tobias/Raphael.

"I lied," said Spencer.

"Your team has six other members. Tell me who dies," said Tobias/Raphael.

Spencer shook his head while wincing in pain, "No."

Tobias/Raphael pulled out his revolver and put one bullet in it before spinning the chamber and pointed the revolver right in between Spencer's eyes, "Choose, and prove you'll do God's will."

Spencer inwardly smirked when he saw where the bullet was causing him to start mentally going through the Bible to search for a verse that could help him give his teammates his location, "No."

Tobias/Raphael pulled the trigger and Spencer didn't even flinch since he saw where the bullet was, "Choose."

"I won't do it," said Spencer.

Tobias/Raphael pulled the trigger again causing Spencer not to flinch, "Life is a choice."

"No," said Spencer.

Tobias/Raphael pulled the trigger again, "Choose."

When Spencer saw that the next time he said no would be his death he made his decision as he thought about one of the many debates that he had with his brother in law, "I... I choose... Aaron Hotchner. He's a classic narcissist. He thinks he's better than everyone else on the team." said Spencer before deciding to misquote a Bible verse on purpose as his coded message to Hotch, "Genesis 23:4. "Let him not deceive himself "and trust in emptiness, vanity, falseness, and futility, for these shall be his recompense. In emptiness, vanity, falseness, and futility, for these shall be his recompense."

Tobias/Raphael raised his revolver above Spencer's head and shot at the wall causing Spencer to flinch as bullet hit the wall behind him before seeing that Tobias/Raphael was holding up another bullet, "For God's will." said Tobias/Raphael as he loaded the revolver with the bullet and spun the chamber.

"Please understand my message Hotch." thought Spencer.

Spencer looked at Tobias after he thanked him for saving his life and giving him water.

"Tobias, I need to know something. It's important. Are we in a cemetery?" asked Spencer.

Tobias nodded causing Spencer to sigh in relief, "Yeah. I used to come here to get high." said Tobias as he started to prepare another dose of Dilaudid.

"I was right," smiled Spencer.

"No one bothers you here. I never told anyone about it," said Tobias before he injected Spencer again.

Spencer fell asleep again.

Flashback

Spencer looked at his uncle, "With me turning 18, I should be allowed to live in the dorms and no longer have an escort on campus."

"Your safer living here," said Gordon.

"You're not my father." said Spencer before seeing the hurt look on his uncle's face, "I'm sorry."

Flashback ended.

Xxxx

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," muttered Spencer as he started to wake up.

"What are you sorry for, boy?" asked Tobias/Charles.

Spencer realized that he was dealing with the Charles personality of Hankel again, "I told my uncle that he's not my father."

"Who?" asked Tobias/Charles.

"My biological parents died when I was four causing my mom's older brother and his wife to adopt me," said Spencer.

"Is that a confession?" asked Tobias/Charles.

"I confess." sighed Spencer.

"You know your Bible. Exodus 21:17," said Tobias/Charles.

"And he that curseth his father or his mother..." recited Spencer as he realized what was going to happen, "Shall surely be put to death. "

Tobias/Charles came over to him and started to uncuff him, "Grab a shovel."

Xxxx

Spencer was trying to dig his grave when he saw flashlight beams from a distance while hearing his name being called.

"You're all weak! Get out of there," said Tobias/Charles before turning around to see the flashlight beams.

Spencer took the opportunity to quickly grab the revolver and pointed it at Hankel's chest causing Hankel to see Spencer

pointing the gun at him.

"Only one bullet in that gun, boy," said Tobias/Charles as he charged after Spencer with his knife.

Spencer quickly pulled the trigger causing Hankel to fall.

"Reid!" shouted Hotch.

Spencer sighed in relief at the sound of his brother-in-law's voice as he crawled over to Hankel and moved the knife away.

Tobias looked up at the man he held captive, "You killed him."

"Tobias?" asked Spencer.

"Do you think I'll get to see my mom again?" asked Tobias before dying.

"I'm sorry," whispered Spencer.

A few seconds later Hotch and Emily approached Spencer, Reid. You all right?" asked Hotch gently as he and Emily helped Spencer stood up.

Spencer looked at his brother-in-law, "I knew you'd understand." sobbed Spencer as he pulled his brother-in-law into a tight hug.

Hotch quickly returned to give his brother in law some warmth as he felt some tears leaking from his own eyes, "Your safe now and you'll see your girls soon, Spencer," whispered Hotch into Spencer's ear as he patted his brother-in-law on the back.

JJ pulled Spencer into a hug, "I'm so sorry."

Spencer hugged JJ back, "It's all right. It wasn't your fault."

As soon as JJ released Spencer, Gideon looked at Spencer, "Let's get you out of here." said Gideon as he was about to help Spencer walk, "Come on."

Spencer looked at Hankel's dead body as he thought about grabbing the vials so he could give to Hotch so doctors could get the drugs out of his system, "Please... Can I have a second alone?" asked Spencer.

Gideon walked away, and a few seconds later Spencer was crouching down and using his sleight of hand abilities to take the vials from Hankel before he limped away from Hankel's dead body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The next chapter is the last chapter and Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Garcia will meet Clarissa and little Diana. And the title of the sequel will be The Profiler and the Nurse.


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this story since Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Garcia finally gets to meet Clarissa and little Diana.

Spencer limped over to Hotch who was talking to paramedics, "Can you please ride with me Hotch?" whispered Spencer as a paramedic helped him get onto the gurney.

Hotch nodded at his brother-in-law, "Sure."

As soon as the ambulance doors closed and Spencer had an IV connected to his hand to give him fluids, Reid grabbed something out of his pocket, "I was drugged against my will, and I don't know what I was drugged with." said Spencer as he handed the bottles to Hotch and showed Hotch his elbow.

Hotch looked at the bottles and Reid's inner elbow while thinking that he is glad that Reid shot Hankel because he would have taken the shot himself, "Thank you for telling me, Spencer," said Hotch as he handed the bottles to the paramedic who started giving orders through the radio, "We already knew that Hankel was addicted to Dilaudid."

"I don't want a lot of people to know that I was drugged against my will with a highly addictive drug," said Spencer as he winced while being poked and prodded.

Hotch gave his brother-in-law a firm look, "Clarissa should know, but I will have to let Strauss and the Director know."

"OK," said Spencer before a warming blanket was placed over him.

Xxxx

While Spencer was getting the required tests done, Hotch pulled out his phone and called Clarissa.

"Have any news?" asked Clarissa.

"Spencer's alive and is currently getting a CAT scan done for the concussion he sustained," said Hotch.

"Thank God," sobbed Clarissa.

"You should catch the first flight you can find down here," said Hotch.

"How long do you think he's going to be in the hospital for?" asked Clarissa.

"Probably a few days," said Hotch as he told Clarissa the injuries he's aware of.

Xxxx

When Hotch was done talking, a hormonal Clarissa spoke, "Is that son of a bitch who drugged my husband with a highly addictive drug dead?" asked Clarissa.

Hotch realized that his sister was hormonal, "Spencer killed Hankel himself."

"Good," said Clarissa.

"He has a long road to recovery ahead of him since there's a possibility that there'll be times that he might crave for Dilaudid while having to deal with P.T.S.D. for the rest of his life," said Hotch.

"I know, and there's no way I'm going to let him shut me out," said Clarissa.

"I'm already planning that he'll be on leave for a minimum of six weeks. Depending on what the therapist who will be assigned to him will say, I'll give him more time," said Hotch.

"I'll be letting my boss know that I'll need to be on family medical leave for a while," said Clarissa.

"Good, and I'll let you go so you can get a bag packed," said Hotch.

"Please stay with Spence until I arrive," said Clarissa.

"I promise," said Hotch before hanging up.

Xxxx

As soon as Spencer and Hotch were given the results from the X-rays and CT scans that Spencer was given, Dr. Miller looked at Spencer while another doctor and nurse were putting a white cast on Spencer's foot, "I want to keep you here for five days so we can make sure that you don't have another seizure while you go through withdrawal from the Dilaudid you were given," said Dr. Miller.

"Before I am taken up to my room, can I please have a shower so I don't smell like burnt fish when I'm reunited with my wife?" asked Spencer.

"You certainly may. A nurse will assist you so you keep your bandages dry while staying off your foot," said Dr. Miller.

Spencer sighed as he thought about having to be on crutches due to having a broken foot, "Thank you." said Spencer before looking at Dr. Miller, "Am I allowed to have one person stay with me until visiting hours start?" asked Spencer.

"Only one person," said Dr. Miller.

Spencer looked at his brother-in-law, "Can you please stay with me?" asked Spencer.

"I already promised my sister that I won't leave your side," said Hotch.

"You two are brothers-in-law?" asked Dr. Miller.

"Yes." said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "While a nurse helps you take a shower, I'll let the others know about your injuries."

"Please don't mention the Dilaudid," said Spencer.

"I won't," said Hotch before leaving the room.

Xxx

Hotch entered the waiting room to see that Morgan, Gideon, JJ, Emily, and Garcia were waiting for him.

JJ quickly stood up and looked at the man who was with her crush, "How's Spence?" asked JJ.

"Reid's going to be here for a few days," said Hotch as he listed the injuries that Spencer received while not mentioning the Dilaudid before looking at his teammates, "Why don't you guys go to a hotel for the next six hours and come back at 8:45."

"Why can't we stay with Reid?" asked Morgan.

"He's only allowed to have one person stay with him, and Reid asked me to stay with him," said Hotch.

Gideon looked at Morgan, Emily, JJ, and Garcia, "Let's go."

"I'll keep you guys updated," said Hotch.

Xxxx

A half-hour later Spencer was sitting in his hospital bed trying to eat some jello when Hotch came into the room.

"I called Clarissa, and she, Lucy, and Diana will arrive at 9 AM this morning," said Hotch as he walked over to Spencer's bed and sat down in a nearby chair.

"You didn't tell the team that my wife's coming?" asked Spencer.

"Not yet since they're all exhausted," said Hotch.

"I hope that they're not angry when they find out that I've been married for over four years to your sister," said Spencer.

"They might be hurt and angry for a while, but we'll just have to tell them that we were ordered not to tell them," said Hotch as he took ahold of Spencer's hand and squeezed it.

"Did you tell Strauss that we're telling the team?" asked Spencer.

"When I told her that its time for the team to know, she gave me permission since you need all the support you can get," said Hotch.

Spencer felt his stomach cramping causing him to squeeze Hotch's hand hard before looking at his brother-in-law as soon as the pain was gone, "Sorry."

"It's OK," said Hotch as he wiped some sweat off Spencer's face, "Strauss knows that you've been given Dilaudid against your will. She mentioned that she wants you to submit to frequent drug tests while seeing a bureau psychologist."

"I'm willing to submit those drug tests while cooperating with the therapist that's assigned to me since Clarissa made me promise her that I won't refuse help," said Spencer.

Hotch sighed in relief as he realized that Spencer's willing to cooperate.

"I know that if I didn't have your sister in my life, I probably wouldn't have told you that I've been drugged," said Spencer.

"I am glad that my little sister approached you that day at Yale," said Hotch.

"Me too," said Spencer before looking at his brother-in-law, "Can I tell you what happened to me before I try to get some sleep?" asked Spencer.

"Sure," said Hotch.

Spencer started recounting everything that happened to him including the flashbacks he had when he was drugged.

Xxxx

When Spencer was finished telling his brother in law what happened to him, he was sobbing causing Hotch to pull his brother in law into a hug, "I'm so sorry that I sent you right to the unsub."

Spencer looked at his brother-in-law, "Don't blame yourself for sending me straight to the unsub since we didn't know that Hankel was the unsub at the time," said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Yes, I made the mistake of splitting up with JJ, but I didn't want Hankel to escape. I know that I have a long road to recovery, but with the support of family and friends I'll be getting through this trauma."

"Just so you know, you're on medical leave for six weeks," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded before yawning.

"Try and get some sleep because the team will be coming in here in five hours," said Hotch.

"You'll be here when I wake up?" asked Spencer as he removed his glasses and passed them to Hotch.

"Yes," said Hotch as he squeezed Spencer's hand.

A few minutes later Spencer was fast asleep in his hospital bed, and a half-hour later Hotch fell asleep while still holding Spencer's hand as a reassurance that his brother-in-law is still alive.

Xxx

Five hours later Spencer woke up to see that his brother in law was on the phone as he reached for the cup filled with water and took a few sips to soothe his dry throat.

Hotch looked at him after he hung up, "How are you feeling?" asked Hotch as he thought about having to comfort Spencer from a few nightmares or to assist Spencer with drug withdrawal symptoms.

"Sore but I understand that the attending doctor doesn't want to give me any pain medication because of the drugs in my system," said Spencer as he reached for his glasses and slipped them on, "Even though I was given narcotics after my appendix got removed, I know that I'm probably going to refuse narcotics for the rest of my life."

"And that's OK," said Hotch.

"Have you heard from Clarissa and the team?" asked Spencer.

"I just talked to Gideon and he and the others are on their way, and I received a text from Clarissa telling me that she, Lucy, and Diana are arriving in 15 minutes," said Hotch.

Spencer sighed, "I wish that Clarissa would have left Diana with Haley and Jack because Diana shouldn't see me like this."

"Clarissa told me that my niece threw a tantrum when she was packing her bag. So Diana's coming along with Lucy in tow so Diana doesn't have to spend all of her time here," said Hotch.

Xxx

10 minutes later Spencer saw his teammates enter the room and Garcia came up to him and hugged him gently, "How are you feeling Boy Wonder?" asked Garcia.

"Sore but I will survive," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at the others, "All of us except Reid have been called back to Quantico because Strauss wants to have a bureau psychologist access us right away and we have case files piling up."

"We can't leave him alone here." protested Morgan.

"Reid has a next of kin who is arriving in a few minutes who will make decisions for him while we are back in Quantico," said Hotch.

Garcia looked at Spencer, "I thought that your godparents are in Africa?" asked Garcia before noticing a wedding band on Spencer's left ring finger causing her to gasp, "Is that a wedding band?" asked Garcia.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Gideon looked at Spencer, "I guess that you're finally revealing your relationship status?" asked Gideon.

Spencer was about to speak up but ended up seeing two of his favorite people enter the room.

"DADDY!" cried Diana as she pulled her 13-week pregnant mother and her nanny into the room.

Everyone but Hotch and Gideon looked at Spencer in shock as the young woman lifted the little girl onto her father's bed where Diana curled right into her daddy's side.

"Hey Diana," said Spencer as he looked at Diana's tear-stained face and wiped the tears with his thumb before kissing Diana's forehead, "Daddy got caught by the bad guy. I will be fine after you and mommy take care of me for the next six weeks."

Diana kissed her daddy's bandaged head like her daddy does to her when she gets hurt, "All better like you do to me when I get hurt, daddy."

"Having you being here helps me feel better," said Spencer as he tickled his daughter's belly, causing her to giggle.

"Cause I'm a daddy's girl," beamed Diana.

"Yes you are, sweet pea," said Clarissa as she kissed her husband's forehead and nodded at her older brother who was smirking at her and Gideon who was smiling at her.

Morgan cleared his throat, "What are you doing here, Clarissa?" asked Morgan.

Clarissa smiled at Morgan, "Hi Derek."

Spencer looked at Morgan, JJ, Garcia, and Emily, "Clarissa's my wife, and this beautiful little girl is our three-year-old daughter, Diana Ethel Reid."

"You're married to Hotch's baby sister?" asked a shocked Morgan as he couldn't believe that Spencer already has more game than him.

Spencer smiled a bit, "As of today Clarissa has been my wife for 1,531 days."

"I see that your beautiful brain isn't damaged since you still remember how many days we've been married for the past four years," said Clarissa.

"If you two have been married to each other for over four years, how long have you two known each other?" asked Garcia as her heart melted at the sight of Spencer with his daughter making her realize that she couldn't be mad.

"Over six years," said Clarissa.

"We met on November 30th of 2000 at Yale two days after the deaths of my aunt and uncle. If it wasn't for Clarissa I probably wouldn't have gotten over the deaths of my aunt and uncle," said Spencer as he smiled softly at his wife before introducing Clarissa to JJ, Emily, and Garcia.

Lucy looked at Spencer, "Aren't you going to introduce me, Spencer?" asked Lucy.

Spencer blushed a bit while Clarissa laughed.

"This is our live-in nanny Lucy Robertson who takes care of Diana while Clarissa and I are both working," said Spencer.

JJ looked at Diana and noticed that she was wearing a t-shirt that said I'M GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER before looking at Clarissa as she instantly felt jealously towards Clarissa, "How far along are you?" asked JJ as she gestured to Clarissa's baby bump.

Spencer and Clarissa looked at each other before Clarissa looked at her husband's and brother's teammates that she never met, "I'm 13-weeks pregnant."

Before Garcia could open her mouth, Spencer quickly spoke, "If you're going to squeal please don't since my head still hurts, and I doubt that my nurse would appreciate it."

Clarissa looked at her husband as she rested her hands on her hips, "Are you talking about me or the nurse that's assigned to you today?" asked Clarissa.

"Knowing you, you're going to insist on nursing me back to health," said Spencer.

Clarissa covered her daughter's ears, "Damn straight I am."

"Your a nurse?" asked Garcia.

"I'm a pediatric nurse at Children's National, but I'm working my way up to becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner," said Clarissa.

Spencer looked at his wife, "And you'll be a great nurse practitioner, Clara."

"Clara?" asked Emily.

"Clara Barton who was the founder of the American Red Cross was originally Clarissa Barton, so my nickname for Clarissa is Clara," said Spencer.

"Very fitting," said Emily.

Hotch looked at his sister, "When are you going to talk to me?" asked Hotch.

Clarissa turned towards her oldest brother, "Thanks for giving me updates on my husband's status, Aaron." said Clarissa as she kissed her oldest brother on the cheek before hugging Gideon.

"How are you two able to be on the same team despite being brothers-in-law?" asked Morgan.

"We promised Strauss that we would keep our relationship as brothers-in-laws outside the office," said Hotch as he realized that the father and daughter were now sleeping and gently removed his niece's glasses before stroking Diana's hair, "Spencer and Diana are both asleep."

Clarissa looked at her husband's teammates as she removed her husband's glasses, "And when Spencer joined the BAU, I stopped showing up since we didn't want anyone to know that I'm married to my oldest brother's youngest teammate since we were worried that people would think that Spencer was placed in the BAU due to nepotism."

Hotch looked at Morgan, JJ, Emily, Garcia, and Gideon, "We have to board the jet in an hour, and I'll answer any questions you guys have during the flight home." said Hotch before looking at Clarissa, "Haley and I will pick you guys up from the airport when Spencer is ready to go home, and if you need anything please call."

"I will Aaron," said Clarissa as she hugged her older brother.

Xxxx

An hour later Spencer woke up, and Clarissa looked at her husband, "You need to be more careful Spencer," said Clarissa as she looked at her sleeping daughter before handing her husband his glasses.

"I know," said Spencer as he allowed tears to fall down his face, "I am glad that the monster who abducted me gave me CPR because I wouldn't be here if I wasn't given CPR," whispered Spencer as he stroked his sleeping daughter's hair.

"I am proud of you for handing Aaron those vials," whispered Clarissa as she kissed her husband's forehead.

"I have too much to lose since I wouldn't have been able to hide a drug addiction from you while I don't want to be threatened about CPS being called," said Spencer as he wiped a tear from Clarissa's face before kissing his sleeping daughter's head and thinking about his family growing while knowing that his parents, aunt, and uncle are proud of him since they told him themselves during his temporary death.

~The End~


End file.
